The Shieldmaiden
by Zanza8
Summary: A tale of Rollo and Lagertha in an alternate universe where Siggy died and Rollo never rebelled against Ragnar.
1. Chapter 1

As the longboat drew near the dock of Kattegat, Rollo frowned, then bent over his sleeping brother and shook him. Ragnar came awake with a start. "What is it?"

Rollo shook his head. "I do not know, brother, but I feel something is wrong. Look." He pointed to the small town and Ragnar came to his feet. The dock and beach were usually crowded whenever a boat came in and now both were deserted. It was with a feeling of profound uneasiness that the men tied up the vessel and started through the empty street for the great hall, past houses with closed doors and shuttered windows. They found Lagertha sitting alone at the back of the big room, and it was a long moment before she slowly made her way to them, gazing at them silently.

"Lagertha, what has happened?" Ragnar's voice was rough with fear but she didn't seem to notice and he put a hand on her shoulder. At his touch, she blinked as if she were waking up and her eyes filled with tears.

"There was sickness." Floki moved and she managed a smile for him. "Helga is well." She would have said more, but he was already on his way out, Torstein and One-Eye with him, leaving Ragnar with his wife and son and brother. Lagertha took Ragnar's hand and held it tightly. "Husband, I must tell you that Gyda..." She couldn't finish but Ragnar read the truth in her face. His hand tightened convulsively on hers and he reached for Bjorn as if to reassure himself that his son was still there.

Rollo gripped his shoulder. "You have my sympathy, brother. If there is anything Siggy or I can do, you have only to name it." Lagertha bit her lip and the big man felt a chill. "Where is Siggy?"

The shieldmaiden took a deep breath. "Siggy was the first one to fall ill. Thyri and I cared for her, and then Thyri also took sick." Rollo was staring at her, his face white, and she had to force the words past a lump in her throat. "We burned all the dead the same day they died. It was the only way to contain the sickness."

Rollo's jaw tightened for a moment, then he said quietly, "Thank you for taking care of them." He gave Ragnar's shoulder a shake, tousled Bjorn's hair, nodded to Lagertha, and then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Lagertha asked about the embassy to Jarl Borg, and Ragnar told her all that had happened, suppressing only his encounter with Princess Aslaug. Bjorn might have said something about the woman, but he was almost never home. The shieldmaiden was aware of the tension between the boy and his father, but assumed it was due to their grief over Gyda. She didn't think of Rollo at all until Bjorn came to her on the afternoon of the third day. "I want you to come with me to my uncle's house. I think something is wrong with him."

Lagertha sighed. "What makes you think that?"

"I have gone several times to see him." Bjorn paced back and forth. "No matter what time I go, he is asleep in bed."

His mother shrugged. "He is probably drunk, Bjorn. You should not worry about it."

"I do not think so." Bjorn stopped in front of his mother, his expression an odd mixture of appeal and determination. "He has not touched his food stores, he has casks of ale and mead that have not been broached, he has not been seen in town." He put a hand on his mother's arm. "Even his water pitcher is as it was the first time I went."

For the first time Lagertha felt concerned. "Very well. I will go with you to see your uncle, but I warn you, if he is drunk, I will never concern myself with him again."

They walked over to the little house Rollo had shared with Siggy, and Lagertha was about to knock when Bjorn pushed the door open and went straight through to the bedroom. His mother followed, looking around and noting that the main room was in perfect order, as if it hadn't been touched since Siggy left it for the last time. Bjorn stood by the bed, shaking Rollo and getting no response.

Lagertha bent over her brother-in-law, openly smelling his breath. There was no smell of alcohol and Bjorn gave her an exasperated look. "I told you he wasn't drunk."

She felt Rollo's face. "Get me water and some clean rags."

"What is wrong with him?"

"He has a fever."

The boy looked at his uncle with fear. "Is it like the sickness that killed my sister?"

The shieldmaiden shook her head. "I think he is just sick with grief. Siggy and Thyri were his family and he has lain here sorrowing for them until he has come to this pass."

Bjorn took Rollo's hand. "Is he going to die?"

"No, of course not." Lagertha strove to sound matter-of-fact. "Now get me that water and those rags and then go home and tell your father what has happened." The boy hesitated and his mother bent down to look him directly in the eye. "Rollo will be all right. He just needs some care and I promise you, I will stay with him until he is better." The boy's smile warmed her heart and she watched as he brought in a bucket of water and some rags. He lingered by the bed for a moment, looking down at his uncle, then he left without another word.

Left alone, Lagertha pulled up a stool to the bed and wrung out a rag, laying it on Rollo's forehead. He stirred and mumbled something and the shieldmaiden shook her head. "How like you, Rollo. You couldn't cry for half a day like Ragnar and get on with your life. You always have to make the grand gesture." She took another rag and trickled some water into his mouth and he swallowed it, then opened his eyes. He gazed at her without recognition, then his eyes closed and he slipped back into a fitful doze.


	3. Chapter 3

"Siggy!"

Lagertha jumped-she must have fallen asleep, and she suffered a moment's disorientation at finding herself in a strange room, then she remembered where she was and leaned over Rollo. He was tossing back and forth, calling for Siggy, and she wrung out another rag and wiped his face. He was burning up and she was debating whether to go for more water when he caught her hand.

"Siggy…" Rollo's eyes were unfocused and his voice weak but he was smiling. "Don't laugh...I had the worst dream. I thought I came back to Kattegat and you were dead." His hard brown hand, so huge that it completely engulfed Lagertha's, tightened for a moment and then fell back on the bed. "I thought I would never see you again and here you are. I dreamed Thyri was dead too...we must find her a husband, she must be provided for."

"Rollo, you don't know what you're saying."

"No, you're right. Thyri must marry when and whom she pleases...she is your daughter, you know what is best for her…" Rollo fell silent, then murmured, "I'm sorry, Siggy...I never told you how much I love you. And I never married you. I only waited because I wanted you to be the wife of an earl again...will you marry me anyway, Siggy?"

Lagertha said gently, "I'll marry you, Rollo, but you must get well first."

He sighed and relaxed and she thought he had fallen asleep, then he spoke again, his voice very faint. "Lagertha." She leaned over to hear him better and he repeated her name, then whispered, "I am glad you are her friend, Siggy. If anything happens to me, you will be safe with her."

Lagertha felt unnerved . She had never liked Rollo, never trusted him, never understood her husband's affection for his wayward brother. For years he had pursued her behind Ragnar's back, making lewd comments, following her with his eyes, and he had long had a reputation in the town as being a man that no woman was safe with. She would never have believed he could care for anyone as much as himself and now he lay here, suffering such grief that he might have died of it. It was disconcerting, and Lagertha did not want to believe that she could have been wrong about Rollo.

The night wore on and in the dark hour before the dawn the door in the other room opened and Ragnar came in. "Lagertha?"

She hurried to her husband, her finger on her lips. "Don't wake Rollo."

Ragnar pulled her into a swift strong hug, then walked softly into the bedroom. Rollo had turned on his side and did not move when Lagertha came in and felt his face. His skin was cooler and she smiled and gestured to Ragnar. They went into the other room and Lagertha whispered, "His fever has broken. I think he will be all right now."

"I would have been here sooner but I was hunting in the forest and Bjorn only found me a short time ago. What is wrong with my brother? Bjorn said that he was very sick and you were taking care of him."

Lagertha sighed. "He fell sick with grief for Siggy. I did not know he loved her so much."

Ragnar said sadly, "When Rollo lived here alone he took no care for this house. He always said that he had no need of a real home. The day I became earl, he brought Siggy and Thyri here." He smiled wryly. "He complained about how they cleaned and made him fix things, but I knew that he had finally found some peace and happiness…" He went back to the door of the bedroom. "What will happen to him now?"

"I don't know, Ragnar." Lagertha joined her husband and they stood side by side contemplating Rollo. "He still has family-he has you, and Bjorn. He has not lost everything. He needs to remember that."

The young man regarded his wife with curiosity. "I never heard you speak so kindly of my brother before."

She moved away uncomfortably. "Perhaps I never thought of him as anything but a trouble before. I would like to go home but Rollo should not be left alone."

"I will stay with him." Ragnar touched her face. "Thank you."

Lagertha pressed her husband's hand and left the little house to walk home in the gathering light of a new day. Bjorn was in the great room, staring into the fire, and he jumped up as she came in. "How is my uncle?"

"He is much better. I think he will be all right if he is reminded he still has family. It's hard to lose someone you love as much as he loved Siggy." The boy scowled and Lagertha was again conscious of that undercurrent of anger running through him. "What is it, Bjorn? I know you are worried about Rollo but I think something else is upsetting you as well."

Bjorn looked at his feet. "My uncle…"

"What about him?"

"While my father and I went to see the great ash tree, Rollo had to stay with Jarl Borg. I heard about it from the servants, how Borg offered him women."

Lagertha thought she saw what was wrong now. "If Rollo was with other women, that doesn't mean he loved Siggy less."

"You don't understand!" Bjorn blurted. "Borg offered my uncle women and he turned them down. He was faithful to Siggy, but my father…"

The shieldmaiden felt a jar go through her, like a blow before the pain is felt. "What of Ragnar?"

"While Siggy and my sister lay dying, he was making a fool of himself with a woman!" Now that the words were out, Bjorn told his mother the whole story of Princess Aslaug and Ragnar and she stood there in shock, listening to every detail until the boy stopped talking of his own accord.

"Thank you for telling me, Bjorn," she said calmly. "You may go now."

He glared at her, then turned on his heel and left. Her mind was in a whirl and stray thoughts chased one another. She remembered Ragnar's trial, when Haraldson would have killed him but for Rollo's perjury, and how the big warrior had told her it was for her that he lied. She had not wanted to believe him-she couldn't accept that he cared for her so much, and the raid on the farm and Ragnar's injuries made it easy for her to forget the risk he had taken. She thought of how she had asked Ragnar to leave Kattegat and how he refused, challenging Haraldson to mortal combat when he learned of Rollo's capture and torture at the earl's hands. She had hated Rollo that day-even the livid cuts on his face didn't soften her heart towards him. She saw only that her husband might die to avenge his brother and she wished Rollo had never been born. Lagertha had thought nothing could be worse than the moment she found Gyda dead, and now she knew that as their daughter lay dying, her husband was with another woman-a woman whom he had kept a secret from her. Strangely it was the lie, for an omission can be a lie, that hurt more than the actual act of sex with this Aslaug. Rollo, whom she had not believed capable of love, had stayed faithful to Siggy and come home to find his life laid waste; and Ragnar, whom she would have trusted with her life, had lain with another woman while Gyda was dying and held that encounter a secret from her even as he comforted her for their daughter's loss.

Lagertha pressed her hands over her eyes to hold back the tears. It was a long moment before she straightened up, but her head was high as she decided to settle things with Ragnar. They had too many good years together for her to get so upset over him spending one night with another woman, a woman, moreover, that he would never see again. As for Rollo...no, she wasn't going to think about him. It hurt too much to think of his faithful love for Siggy contrasted with Ragnar's infidelity, but she would be kinder to him in the future, and hope for better days for all of them as she and Ragnar built their life again.


	4. Chapter 4

Time passed. Lagertha confronted Ragnar about Aslaug, and a violent encounter it was, but he had sworn never to see the princess again and she was content. Bjorn also seemed to have forgiven his father and although Gyda's absence was a constant sorrow, they became accustomed to it and able to speak of her without pain, remembering all that was good about her life. The townspeople did not forget the plague, but neither did they suffer distress from their memories. In all respects but one, life in Kattegat resumed its normal course.

Rollo was the only one who seemed unable to pick up the pieces. He abandoned his house, taking over a little shack on the edge of town. Ragnar was exasperated, but at least his brother kept the place clean and in good repair. Rollo was seen about the town again, helping the boatbuilders and the fishermen, and he often took Bjorn with him when he went hunting. They usually returned with a deer, but Bjorn's pride in this accomplishment was not enough to blind his mother to the fact that Rollo was losing weight and he was unusually silent even with his brother. Before the embassy to Jarl Borg that had presaged the great change in their lives, Lagertha would not even have noticed such things about Rollo but now the desolate look in his eyes went to her heart and one night when he left the great hall she followed him out and called to him.

He turned and waited for her, his face so empty of expression that she wondered what good it would do to speak to him. Lagertha had never been one to turn aside from something she had determined to do, however, and so she said, "I wanted to thank you, Rollo. Bjorn has been telling me about how much you have taught him about hunting and fishing. Ragnar is often too busy for such things."

"Well, he is a great man," said Rollo listlessly, "and I find time hangs heavy on my hands these days. It is more a kindness of yours to let me do so much with your son."

He turned to go and Lagertha put a hand on his arm. "Wait." He stopped and looked down at her and she said compassionately, "You have not been yourself."

"What self should I be, shieldmaiden?" Rollo's voice was suddenly mocking. "Should I chase women through the town and drink myself to sleep every night? That Rollo died long before Siggy. She was...we were…" He fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It is not grief that saddens me, Lagertha. It is regret." He pressed his hand to his heart. "Siggy is with me here, forever, but now when I finally tell her how much I love her, she cannot answer me. I should have told her sooner. She left me before I found the words, and now the words are of no use…" His voice trailed away and he waited a moment, but Lagertha could think of nothing to say and he walked off into the dark.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a cold and snowy day when the longboat came out of the mist and Princess Aslaug strode down the dock, cradling her swollen belly in her hands. Ragnar quailed before Lagertha's wrath, swearing that he had not known Aslaug was pregnant, but the shieldmaiden read the truth in his eyes. The only thing that mattered to him was the child the princess was carrying. He did not even care if it was his own.

The first evening was a nightmare that Lagertha did not believe she would ever forget. In front of all of Kattegat, Ragnar sat between her and Aslaug, sheepish but determined to brave the opinion of their small world, and all of his friends, Floki and Torstein and One-Eye, even Athelstan, all of them rallied around him. Rollo was the only one who sat apart, at the end of the table, and for the first time in months Lagertha saw something besides despair in his eyes. He looked down the table, not at his brother and the princess like everyone else but at Lagertha, and his was the only sympathetic face in the hall. She nodded to him and for a brief moment, he smiled at her. Heartened, she turned to the princess and spoke across Ragnar. "I have heard of your mother, the shieldmaiden Brynhildr."

Aslaug smiled brightly. "She was very famous. So was my father, Sigurd."

Lagertha raised her eyebrows. "Sigurd…"

"_The_ Sigurd," said Aslaug pleasantly. "The one of whom the sagas speak, who slew the dragon Fafnir." Ragnar lifted a baby goat off the table, cowering behind it as the princess continued her conversation with Lagertha. "Who were your parents?"

The shieldmaiden raised her chin. "They were just farmers."

"Surely no one is _just_ a farmer."

"Believe me, princess," said Lagertha, looking pointedly at Ragnar, "some people are exactly that, and happy to be so." Ragnar seemed to disappear behind the goat as Aslaug asked Lagertha to forgive her, then turned to Bjorn.

"Do you remember me, Bjorn? We stood together in front of the Tree of Life."

Bjorn said coldly, "It wasn't the Tree of Life. It was just a tree."

Repulsed, Aslaug nevertheless maintained her smile. "That's right. We both know that. It creates a bond between us."

The boy slammed his cup down on the table and when he spoke, his voice was even more surly. "I want no bond with _you_."

Yes, that first evening was a nightmare and the second was even worse, when Aslaug had her women bring in a number of dishes. Lagertha was surprised the princess could cook, but Aslaug assured her that no cooking was involved, only selecting the ingredients that her women prepared. Lagertha felt like a fool and it was then that Ragnar spoke up.

"We could have an arrangement." He looked from Lagertha to Aslaug and they traded the kind of look women wear when they are united in deploring the stupidity of a man. Ragnar didn't notice and tried a smile on them both. "I have heard that it is not uncommon for an earl to live with more than one woman."

"Is that what you suggest?" asked Lagertha, a dangerous tone in her voice.

Ragnar kissed her shoulder. "If I were, what would you say?"

The shieldmaiden rose. "You must forgive me, but I will excuse myself now." Rollo caught her eye-he had not heard what was said but was plainly troubled and she shook her head slightly. He sat back and she walked to the door, smiling, with her head high as the feasting crowd said goodnight to her and turned their attention back to Ragnar and Aslaug.


	6. Chapter 6

Lagertha folded the last of her clothing and placed it in the box, then closed the lid and nodded to the servant to carry it out. Bjorn was in tears as Torstein took him aside. "I admire your mother," said the tall man. "We all do. But your place is with your father. He is Ragnar Lothbrok and you must not leave him."

The shieldmaiden looked around the room one last time, then beckoned to Bjorn. The boy followed her out to the cart and she looked at him very seriously. "You must choose, Bjorn."

Torstein and Floki had come outside as well and watched intently as the boy dashed the tears from his face and said in a choked voice, "I choose my father."

Lagertha's face drained of color, but she managed a small calm smile as she hugged her son, then climbed into the cart and drove away. She had only been out of sight for a few minutes when Ragnar rode up.

The earl of Kattegat took in the tearstained face of his son. "What is wrong?"

Bjorn took a deep breath. He wanted to scream at his father, hurl all the curses he had ever heard at him, but all he said was, "Mother's left."

Ragnar spurred his horse. He soon caught sight of the cart and galloped in front of it, pulling up the horse and tumbling out of the saddle. Lagertha watched expressionlessly as he came up to the cart and cried out, "Were you really going to abandon me without a word?"

Lagertha leaned forward, her eyes flashing. "You insult and humiliate me. I have no choice but to leave you and divorce you."

What Ragnar might have said was interrupted as Bjorn ran up, Rollo right behind him. "I have changed my mind, mother. I am going with you."

"As am I," said Rollo.

Lagertha jumped down and threw her arms around her son, hugging him fiercely to hide her tears, then gave him a little push in the direction of the cart and turned to Rollo. "You are not coming with us."

"You are not going alone," said Rollo firmly. "If I cannot travel with you, I will walk ten steps behind you, but I _will_ be there until you have found a place of refuge."

"Wait a minute." Ragnar grabbed his brother by the arm. "Is it not enough that my wife and son are abandoning me? Will you also leave, brother?"

The big man pulled himself loose. "You are a fool. Siggy left me, but I had no say in the matter. If I had, I would have done anything to keep her with me. I would have made any sacrifice to hold her in my arms for one more day." Lagertha had climbed into the cart with Bjorn and picked up the reins, but she found she could not drive on without hearing what Rollo had to say, and what Ragnar would answer.

The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment, then Ragnar said passionately, "You do not understand. I have been told I have a great future. I have been given signs. I must have the sons to fulfill my destiny."

"You have a son." Rollo pointed at Bjorn. "And a faithful and loving wife. That is more than many men are ever given."

The earl of Kattegat looked at his family and tears sprang to his eyes, but his voice was steady. "Princess Aslaug is carrying my child. I must take care of her."

"You do not need to take her to wife to care for your child. Think well before you give up something so precious."

"I have thought. I will not renounce the princess." Ragnar took a step back and Rollo shook his head.

"Then this is farewell, brother." He went over to the cart and looked up at Lagertha. "Do I walk with you or ten steps behind?"

Lagertha did not even look back at Ragnar as she bent over and laid a hand on Rollo's shoulder. "Walk with us, Rollo."


	7. Chapter 7

"No." Lagertha gave Rollo the look that he had learned meant she was not going to change her mind, and he shrugged and walked away. Bjorn, who had been watching them from the campfire, ran up to him. "Well? What did she say?"

Rollo tousled the boy's hair. "She said no. She thinks you are not ready to go out hunting by yourself."

Bjorn looked crestfallen. "I thought if you asked, she would realize I am old enough." He looked trustingly at his uncle. "You think I'm ready, don't you?"

"If I didn't, I would never have asked but your mother has decided and we must abide by that decision." Bjorn looked mutinous and Rollo chuckled. "I would not dare to show that face to Lagertha. You had better come with me before we both get in trouble." The boy divided a glare between the two adults, then grabbed his bow and arrows and stalked off, his uncle at his heels.

Lagertha watched them go, shaking her head with bemusement. Had it really been only a week since they left Kattegat? They had fallen into a routine so quickly it seemed they could go on forever, Bjorn taking turns with her to drive the cart, Rollo ranging alongside, stopping at noon to cook a meal, camping for the night in some pleasant spot...It was almost alarming, considering what they had left behind, how at peace she felt. Where was the bitter anger, the grief, the bleak awareness that she had lost everything? At times the turmoil she had felt when she realized Ragnar would choose a pregnant stranger over her threatened to overwhelm her, but watching Rollo and Bjorn, she felt a tranquility that she was at a loss to define. Perhaps it was simply her joy that Bjorn had chosen to go with her rather than stay with his faithless father. And perhaps there was also relief that Rollo was with them, for in her most private thoughts, the shieldmaiden acknowledged to herself that she was thankful not to be a woman alone with a young boy in the wilderness. Lagertha knew herself to be strong and capable and more than a match for most men, but she was also wise enough to know that even the mightiest warrior has limits and is better for having a friend who can be trusted. How strange that Rollo had proven to be that friend.

Lagertha unhitched the sturdy small horse and turned him loose to graze. No need to hobble him, not with the forest so close. At night they heard wolves howling, and Bjorn never failed to point them out when the boldest came close enough for their eyes to shine in the fire. Rollo would throw another piece of wood on the flames, causing them to leap up and the wolves to retreat, and they would lie down, Lagertha and Bjorn on one side of the fire, Rollo on the other, and sleep until the first light. She hoped they would find a deer-for the past few days they had been living on rabbits and what edible plants they could gather and she was starting to feel hungry all the time.

She was sitting by the fire, staring into the flames as the shadows lengthened, when the man and boy came back into camp. Rollo had a deer slung across his shoulders and Bjorn was carrying...yes, more rabbits. He had a huge grin on his face, though, and Lagertha smiled in response. "You look very happy."

Rollo dropped his burden. "His first deer. He stalked it and killed it all by himself." Lagertha frowned and the big man held up a hand. "Don't look at me like that, shieldmaiden. I stayed close enough."

"Too close," said Bjorn, laying the rabbits on the ground. "I told you I could do it by myself."

"You are a fine hunter, Bjorn," said Lagertha. "I am very proud of you. Did you also get the rabbits?"

"No, Rollo snared them."

The big man started skinning the small animals. "We can always use a few more furs. The nights are beginning to get very cold."

"You have brought enough to keep us busy here for several days," said Lagertha, starting on the deer. They worked in silence, preparing the skins and cutting up the meat, then the shieldmaiden set up a tripod over the fire. Rollo filled a bucket from their water cask and Lagertha started a pot of rabbit stew while the man and boy fashioned a rack and hung up pieces of the venison to dry. The stew was just starting to bubble when they finished.

Rollo dropped to the ground near the fire. "That smells good. You're a fine cook, Lagertha."

She smiled and handed him a cup of water. "I'm even better when I have something more to work with than rabbits and wild onions."

"I miss your bread," Bjorn groaned. Lagertha and Rollo laughed and the boy smiled sheepishly. "It really is very good, Rollo. Someday mother will make it again and you'll see."

"I am willing to take your word for it." Rollo was leaning forward to watch as Lagertha tasted the stew when suddenly a grey shadow streaked out of the woods and plowed into him. Bjorn cried out in fear and his mother dropped the spoon and caught him up in her arms, tossing him into the cart and grabbing a bow and arrow. She turned, ready to fire, but could get no clear shot. A giant wolf was tearing at Rollo and they seemed to merge into one figure but she waited tensely, the bow drawn to its full extent. Then there was a dismal howl and the animal fell to one side, Rollo's knife buried to the hilt in its side.

Lagertha dropped the bow and arrow and ran to Rollo. He had pulled up his sleeves and was examining his arms and hands. He shook his head as the shieldmaiden dropped to her knees in front of him and took his head in her hands, feeling all over his face and neck. "There's nothing."

"Are you sure?" he demanded. "Be very sure."

"I'm sure." Laughing a little, she threw her arms around him and hugged him in sheer relief. Rollo was startled, but his arms tightened around her and she felt the warmth and strength of him and how good it was to be held again. Then a disapproving voice broke in on her.

"What is the matter with you two?" Bjorn was scowling at them, all but tapping his foot, and Rollo gently disengaged himself from Lagertha and stood up.

"Come here, Bjorn, but be very careful. Don't touch anything." Rollo pointed at the dead wolf. "See its mouth?"

"It looks like it's been eating soap!" The boy reached out and Rollo grabbed him and pulled him back.

"I said not to touch anything!" The big man stood squarely between his nephew and the dead animal. "That wolf was mad. When you see an animal with foam on its mouth, you must never let it get close to you. The smallest bite or scratch is as fatal as the most deadly poison." Bjorn caught Rollo's hands and looked at them. "It's all right, Bjorn. I was very fortunate."

"The gods must have protected you." Lagertha got to her feet. "We cannot stay here now-we will have to move on in the morning. I want to put many miles between ourselves and this place tomorrow." Bjorn looked bewildered and his mother explained, "Where there is one mad animal, there could be more. This is not a safe place to camp."

Bjorn's shoulders sagged. "I wanted to save the skin from my deer."

Rollo and Lagertha exchanged a look and the big man said, "When we have traveled a little more, you can go out hunting all by yourself and get another deer."

The boy looked at his mother and she nodded and smiled. "That one today doesn't really count anyway. Did not you say Rollo was too close? When you have shot a deer and brought it in all by yourself, that will be the one we count."

Rollo took the dead wolf by the tail and dragged it away from the campsite, then returned and started pulling everything out of the cart. "We will have to sleep in the cart tonight."

"In the cart!" Bjorn protested. "We cannot all fit in the cart, Rollo. You would take up all the room."

His mother cuffed him across the head. "We will manage, Bjorn. It will not be safe to sleep on the ground."

"Can we at least eat first?" asked the boy.

Lagertha smiled. "Of course, but we must be quick." She divided the stew between three bowls and they ate in silence, then Rollo built up the fire.

"It will be protection against any animals that are not sick," he said in response to Lagertha's questioning look and she nodded, then climbed into the cart with Bjorn while Rollo pushed all their belongings underneath. He stood up and looked doubtfully at the woman and boy. "Bjorn is right. We cannot all fit in there. I will sleep on the ground."

"You know that will not be safe." Lagertha put her hand on his arm. "There is enough room." He still hesitated and she said decisively, "Get in the cart, Rollo. Now."

The big man rolled his eyes, then climbed in and curled up next to Lagertha. She pressed against him to give Bjorn a little more room and he complained, "This isn't very comfortable."

"Be quiet, Rollo," said Lagertha. She kissed the top of her son's head. "You too, Bjorn. We are going to sleep now and I don't want to hear another word until the morning."


	8. Chapter 8

Lagertha was the first to wake as the sun rose and threw its golden light over the trio in the cart. Rollo was fast asleep, his arm wrapped around her, and she shook him gently. "Rollo?" His arm tightened and she sat up and shook him a little harder. "Rollo!"

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at her with an affectionate expression that quickly turned to sadness. "For a moment I thought…" He closed his eyes. "I wish I could have slept forever."

"I was having a good dream too," she said softly, "but it is time to wake up now."

She gave him a little push and he swung out of the cart and stretched while she woke Bjorn. The boy was still grumpy about "his" deer, but he set to work willingly enough, helping Rollo reload the cart while Lagertha set some of the venison to roasting over the fire.

Bjorn came over to the fire and took a hunk of the meat while Rollo hitched up the horse. "Why are you cooking so much? We cannot possibly eat all that this morning."

His uncle came over and helped himself. "We will not be able to stop long enough to hunt any fresh meat for at least another day. We must make do with what we have."

Lagertha looked around uneasily. "Are we ready to leave? I don't want to stay here another minute."

Rollo stood up and brushed off his hands. "I think we have enough food for a couple of days." He had brought an old cloth from the cart and now he carefully wrapped the roasted meat in it. Lagertha and Bjorn got in the cart and she picked up the reins as Rollo tossed the bundle in the back and started walking.

"Wait, Rollo!" called Lagertha. He stopped and she looked around again. "You should ride-it may not be safe to walk."

He shook his head. "We have to make many miles today, Lagertha. The horse will not go as far if it has to pull all of us." She wavered, her desire to get as far as possible from the campsite vying with her fear of another mad wolf coming out of the woods and finding Rollo on the ground, and he smiled reassuringly. "I will be all right. Bjorn can watch the woods and warn me if he sees anything."

"That's true, mother," said the boy, sitting up very straight with the pride of this responsibility.

Lagertha looked from one resolute face to the other and capitulated. "Very well, Rollo. Walk, but make sure you stay close to the cart."

"As you wish, shieldmaiden." He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling, and even in her nervousness, Lagertha was gratified to see a moment's happiness in Rollo.


	9. Chapter 9

For two days they traveled almost non-stop, pausing only long enough to rest the horse and constantly starting at the smallest sound from the forest. Rollo refused to sleep in the cart again and Lagertha worried that he would be attacked in the night, but they didn't see any other animals suffering from madness and she became convinced they had left any danger behind. It was almost noon of that second day when they crested a hill and saw a village in the valley below. A river ran close by, draining into the sea a few miles away, and there were crops of barley and oats and rye in the fields. On another hill a flock of goats was tended by a small boy, and there was a bustling air as people came and went about their business. Lagertha gazed at the place for a long moment, then clicked her tongue at the horse, pulling on the reins to turn the cart away.

Rollo caught the horse's bridle. "What are you doing?"

She lifted her chin at him but he stared her down and she said coldly, "That is not a place for us to go to."

His eyes widened but he said nothing, instead busying himself with unhitching the horse. The animal freed, he reached into the back of the cart and took out a bow and some arrows, handing them to Bjorn. "Go. See if you can get a deer." He gave the boy his knife. "If you can't carry it, cut off a haunch. And remember, only shoot at a buck, never a doe." Bjorn hesitated and Rollo lifted him out of the cart. "Go!"

Lagertha's face was like a thundercloud as she watched her son run off into the trees. "You had no right to do that."

"I want to talk to you," said Rollo.

"There is nothing I want to talk about," she said stubbornly.

"Then you can listen." The big warrior leaned against the cart, surveying the village below. "I wanted to die after Siggy…" He closed his eyes for a moment, then resumed more softly. "You saved my life, Lagertha, but I didn't know what to do with it once she was gone. Now I have to think of you and Bjorn."

Lagertha said forcefully, "We are not your responsibility."

He smiled. "Perhaps not. Perhaps once you are settled, I will go back to Kattegat and leave you to your new lives. But until then, I will do what I can to help you, and right now, you need my help more than ever." Lagertha glowered at Rollo and his smile broadened. "Normally I would listen to that look, shieldmaiden, but not today." He reached up and took her by the waist, pulling her out of the cart and dumping her unceremoniously on the ground. She bounced to her feet ready to fight but he was seating himself next to the cart, ignoring her outrage as she straightened her garments. He was studying the village again, and after a moment she sat next to him.

Rollo said quietly, "It is almost harvest time. Soon it will begin to be cold all the time, not just at night. We have to find a place to stay, at least for the winter, or we may not see the spring."

"I know," said Lagertha, grief in her voice. "It is just…"

"It is just while we are traveling, all we have to think about is finding food and water and a place to spend the night. Once we stop moving, we have to start living again. The thought frightens me too, Lagertha. And if it were only you and I, we could go on until we laid down to die somewhere no one would ever find us."

The shieldmaiden sighed. "Bjorn."

Rollo nodded. "He needs a home. He chose to come with you and now we have to find a place to live where he will be safe."

Lagertha's eyes filled with tears. "I keep thinking this is all a bad dream."

"I know the feeling." Rollo stretched out in the grass, his hands linked behind his head. "For a long time, every day when I woke up I reached for Siggy. I still cannot believe she will never be there again."

"She was a good friend to me."

"She was an amazing woman." Rollo's voice took on a distant tone. "The first time we met secretly, I was sure...she sent one of her women to tell me she would be waiting for me, and all I thought of was having sex with her, as I had with so many other women. But all she wanted was to warn me that Earl Haraldson hated me and would have my life if he could. I couldn't listen to her, of course-Torstein had told me you and Ragnar were hiding at Floki's and my brother was recovering from his wounds. I thought I was safe enough in Kattegat, and that if Haraldson had me to think about, it would give Ragnar the time he needed to get back on his feet…" His voice trailed away and he was silent for so long that Lagertha wondered if he meant to go on. Finally he said softly, "When Haraldson had me, when he did this…" He touched the scars on his face. "Siggy was the one who stopped him. Oh, she didn't plead for him to have mercy on me. She was too clever for that-he would have plunged the knife straight into my heart. No, she told him that if he released me, everyone would see what he had done and someone was sure to tell Ragnar. He had his men throw me, bleeding, into the street, and no one dared to even stop to see if I was alive or dead, but it fell out as Siggy said. Someone must have told Ragnar…"

The sun was blotted out as Lagertha leaned over Rollo. "Don't you know?"

He looked up at her curiously. "Know what?"

"It was Siggy herself who sent word to Ragnar. She met with Torstein and he came to tell us what had happened to you."

Rollo turned his head away. "She never told me. That was her way, though. She loved Haraldson, but she was afraid of him. She had formed a habit of staying in the background, never telling half of what she knew, and it took her a long time to really trust me."

"He was a cruel man," said Lagertha. "It was a good day for Kattegat when Ragnar killed him." Now she was the one who faltered and Rollo sat up, regarding her intently. "It was a bad day for me. I did not know it at the time, but everything changed between us that day. I still loved him, he still loved me, but he loved his destiny more." She smiled ruefully. "We were happy when Ragnar was a simple farmer. If only he had been content to stay that way."

"I could almost wish for your sake my brother had never become earl, but then I would never have known Siggy." There was a wistfulness in Rollo's voice as he went on. "I know how selfish that sounds but I cannot help it."

Lagertha took a deep breath. "It's fate, Rollo. It is all happening as it is meant to."

"Then I would say we were fated to find this village."

The shieldmaiden threw off her sadness. "Who am I to argue with fate?"


	10. Chapter 10

They drove into the village the next morning. Bjorn had come back to camp with a fat haunch, as proud as if he were carrying a whole stag with a prize set of antlers, and Rollo and Lagertha heaped so much praise on him that he became embarrassed and ran back to the woods to pick berries. They slept on the ground that night beside a roaring fire and woke the next day in the best spirits they had known since leaving Kattegat. After a leisurely breakfast, they packed up the cart and headed down the hill.

The place was much like Kattegat, with a wide street lined with stalls at which vendors sold various kinds of food and drink and household items, and Lagertha and Bjorn got down to walk along the street and admire the wares while Rollo led the horse. She stopped at one stall and picked up a carved wooden bowl, showing it to the man and boy. "This is beautiful work."

The stallkeeper smiled. "Thank you, lady. I carved that bowl myself and a fair bit of work I put into it."

Lagertha put the bowl back. "We need a place to live far more than a bowl at the moment."

"Then you must see our earl, Sigvard." The man gestured at a huge hall at the end of the street.

"What sort of man is he?" asked Rollo.

The stallkeeper became evasive. "He likes his cup, some say too well, but this early in the day…" The man spread his hands. "He should be reasonable to deal with."

Lagertha nodded to the man and strolled on, then stopped and looked up at Rollo. "What do you think?"

He frowned. "I think this man Sigvard sounds like trouble."

"I think the same." They looked at Bjorn, who had run ahead on seeing some boys playing with a ball and had joined in their sport as naturally as if he had been born and grown up in the town. "But I also think you are right, Rollo. We need to find a place to stay, at least for the winter, and this may be as good a place as any."

"Then let us see Sigvard." Rollo gave a quick tug on the horse's bridle and they started forward again, pulling Bjorn out of the game and heading for the earl's hall.


	11. Chapter 11

Rollo fastened the horse's reins to a post in front of the hall and approached a man standing on guard by the door. "I wish to see Earl Sigvard."

The man looked Rollo over as Lagertha and Bjorn joined him. "What is your name?"

The three travelers gave their names and the guard pulled open the big door and spoke to someone inside. A few minutes later, another man came to the door and gestured for them to enter. They followed him in, looking around the hall in curiosity that quickly turned to disgust. The place was filthy. The floor was crusted with scraps of food and the big table next to the open hearth was crowded with dirty dishes providing a free meal to several mice. A musty smell hung in the air, and there were no decorations, no shields hanging on the walls, or bright axes, or even furs by the chair where the earl lounged, eyeing them sourly. "What brings you to Strandysla?"

Rollo took a step forward. "We are travelers seeking a place to stay, at least for the winter."

He was going to say more but Sigvard held up a hand, silencing him. The earl leaned forward, eyeing Lagertha, and she felt a chill. Rollo used to look at her in a similar manner, but she had never been afraid of Rollo as she suddenly felt afraid of this man. There was more than lust in his eyes-there was the imperiousness of a man accustomed to getting what he wanted and capable of rage if he was denied. Sigvard smiled, and it was the smile of a cat when it sees the mouse. "This is your wife?"

"No, lord," said Rollo. "This is my sister-in-law, Lagertha. The boy is her son, Bjorn."

"Your sister-in-law!" Sigvard transferred his attention to Rollo. "And where is your brother?"

"I have divorced my husband," said Lagertha.

"Indeed?" Sigvard looked from Rollo to Lagertha and his smile took on a lewd quality. "And you have run away with your brother-in-law?"

Rollo's eyes darkened. "Lagertha is a free woman and no man has any claim to her. Of course, as my sister-in-law, she is also a woman I would die to protect."

"So would I!" piped up Bjorn. Lagertha pulled her son against her as Sigvard laughed.

"A wolf and a pup to protect you. You are indeed a fortunate woman." Abruptly tiring of his game, he leaned back in his chair. "And you are looking for a place to winter, which makes you fortunate in coming to Strandysla at this particular time. As it happens, one of my tenants has just died and left me a farm with no one to tend it. If you know anything of farming…"

The shieldmaiden said proudly, "My parents were farmers, as was my husband."

Sigvard smiled broadly. "In that case, you can take over the tenancy on the farm." Lagertha nodded and the earl said smoothly, "Of course, you will need some supplies to start with...food and tools, some stock…I'm afraid my previous tenant had rather let things go before he died. I am not in the habit of giving credit to strangers. Have you any money?"

Lagertha felt an odd pang of relief at the thought they would not be able to stay after all. "I am afraid not, lord. Thank you for your generous offer, but we will not be able to take advantage of it."

"Wait." Rollo pulled a small pouch from under his shirt and opened it, taking out a heavy gold ring. For a moment he clutched it so tightly his knuckles turned white, then he held it out to Sigvard. "Will this be sufficient for what we need?"

The earl motioned to one of his men to bring the ring to him. He weighed it in his hand, then bit it to test its quality, finally saying unpleasantly, "It is a poor thing, but it will get you started."

A muscle jerked in Rollo's face, but he merely said, "I thank you, lord. We will go now, if it please you to give us a guide to the farm."

Sigvard's eyes narrowed. The words were appropriate but there was a look in the eyes of the big stranger that set his teeth on edge. For a moment he had an urge to challenge the man, but it had been long since the earl of Strandysla had fought anything more formidable than an unwilling woman. He gestured at the man who had brought him the ring. "Take them to the marketplace and see they get what they need, then show them the way to Arne's farm."

"Yes, lord." The man bowed, then led the travelers from the hall, leaving Sigvard alone with his ugly thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12

Lagertha looked up from the hearth where she was grilling some meat on skewers as Rollo and Bjorn brought in the last of their belongings and dropped them on the floor. "How does the barn look?"

"Drafty." Rollo headed for the door. "I'll see if I can do something about that."

"You should eat something first." Lagertha sighed as Rollo left without another word, then set out two plates for herself and Bjorn. They ate hungrily, washing down the meat with weak ale and finishing with some hard barley bread, and Rollo still had not returned. "Bedtime, Bjorn." The boy opened his mouth and his mother quelled him with her sternest look. He went sulkily to a high bench at the end of the room and spread out his bedding, climbed in, and for all his reluctance was asleep before Lagertha had finished cleaning up the remains of their meal. She went to check on him, pulling a fur closer around him, then threw another piece of wood on the fire before going outside.

Rollo was sitting on a tree stump in front of the house and Lagertha came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You never came back to eat."

"I am not hungry."

The shieldmaiden took a deep breath, then said so softly Rollo could pretend not to have heard her if he did not want to respond, "I am sorry about Siggy's ring."

She felt him tense under her hand, then he relaxed, saying dully, "I lost the chance to give it to her. There was no point in carrying it around with me when it could serve a useful purpose." He stood up and turned to face her, the light from the fire inside casting a dim glow over them both. "The barn will need some repairs-I can take care of that tomorrow, and you can tell me what you want done, but this seems like a good place for you and Bjorn, at least for a time."

Lagertha blinked rapidly. "Do you mean to leave us?"

"Not if you wish me to stay. I think it is better to have a man on the place. I do not trust Sigvard, and Bjorn is going to want to learn how to fight. I know you can teach him the sword and the axe, shieldmaiden, but a boy should not learn fighting from his mother."

Lagertha smiled. "In that case, you should have something to eat before going to bed. It will be a long hard day tomorrow." They went inside and she put some bread and meat on a plate, poured a cup of ale, and sat with Rollo until he finished eating.

"You _are_ a better cook when you have something to work with," said Rollo, smiling. He went over to the small pile of his belongings and pulled something out, then came back to present her with the carved bowl she had admired earlier. "I thought you should have something beautiful," he said shyly.

Lagertha turned the bowl around in her hands, admiring the craftsmanship, then she set it on the table and gave Rollo a quick hug. Once again he was surprised, but he hugged her back before they went to their separate beds for the first night in their new home.


	13. Chapter 13

Lagertha was in the barn shifting some bales of hay when she heard the cart drive up and she huffed with annoyance. It was about time Rollo and Bjorn returned from Strandysla. They had left right after breakfast to trade milk and cheese for supplies and they should have been back before the noon meal. Bjorn should really have stayed-there was so much work to do now that spring was here, but she hadn't had the heart to deny him when he asked if he could go with Rollo. "If they think they're going to take this long every time we need something…" she fumed as she walked out of the barn.

Bjorn jumped down from the cart with the most peculiar expression on his face. He looked so solemn that Lagertha suffered a moment's alarm, but the boy seemed all right. So did Rollo-he wasn't exactly looking at her, but he got out of the cart and handed her a small bundle of fur before going to unload some sacks of feed.

"Oh!" The fur moved in her hands, purring and kneading with tiny sharp claws. "Where did you get a kitten?"

Bjorn snickered and Rollo shot him a glare. The boy resumed his unnaturally grave look and maintained it for about two seconds, then broke down laughing. Seeing no help there, Lagertha went up to Rollo. He threw a sack over his shoulder and tried to go around her, but she planted herself squarely in his path.

"I thought with all the mice around this place it would be a good idea to have a cat," said the big man, his face still turned away.

Lagertha frowned. "There is something you are not telling me." Rollo sighed and dropped the sack on the ground, facing Lagertha with a resigned look. His cheek was gashed and one sleeve of his shirt was torn and her curiosity gave way to concern. "What happened?"

Rollo avoided her eyes. "A small accident."

"_Very_ small," added Bjorn, smiling widely.

The shieldmaiden raised her eyebrows and Rollo sighed. "If you must know, this happened when I got the kitten."

Her eyes widened. "This little kitten did that to you?"

"Not exactly." Rollo scratched the tiny head and the kitten licked his finger with its rough little tongue. "It was up in a tree…"

"And Rollo climbed up to get it and fell out!" Bjorn blurted, holding his sides. "You never saw anything so funny as him landing on his face, and then the kitten jumped down…"

Lagertha's lips twitched. "Rollo, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?"

"I know it would have come down by itself," he said gruffly, "but I didn't want to wait. We need a good cat for all the mice."

"You don't get a kitten for catching mice!" Lagertha said exasperatedly. "If you want a good mouser, you have to find someone who has a cat that's good at catching mice and you get one of those kittens." Rollo was looking crestfallen and the shieldmaiden relented. "Of course, when it has such big ears, that is also the sign of a good mouser."

He brightened. "It is?"

"Oh, yes." Lagertha held the little animal up and pointed to its ears. They were actually rather small but she said, "See? You can tell by the size of the ears that this kitten will grow up to be a champion mouser." Bjorn was looking skeptical but he kept his mouth shut as his mother went on. "It is a beautiful kitten, Rollo. Thank you for getting it for me." It really was a pretty little creature, with long cream colored fur and huge amber eyes in a delicate face and she admired it for a moment. "Now come inside and let me tend to that cut on your face. I will have to fix your shirt as well."

They went into the small house and she deposited the kitten on the table, then got a bowl of water and a couple of clean rags. Rollo stripped off his shirt and handed it to Lagertha and she frowned as she looked at the torn sleeve. "There's blood here."

He looked down at a long cut on his arm in surprise. "I didn't even feel it."

She shook her head at him and he sat at the table, watching the kitten investigate the dishes. "What will you name him?"

Lagertha sat next to Rollo and cleaned the cut on his arm, then bound it up and started on his face. "I think I will name him Bragi."

"The god of poetry?"

"Why not? A great warrior climbs a tree to save a helpless kitten-that sounds like something of which a poet would sing."

"A very bad poet," said Rollo crossly. "And I told you, I only went up the tree because I didn't want to wait. I knew the kitten wasn't really stuck."

"Of course." Lagertha bit her lip to hold back a smile and sat back to look at Rollo's face. "I hope that doesn't scar."

"I don't suppose it matters," he said sadly, but his eyes were twinkling and she had to laugh.

The kitten had not found anything to eat and now it jumped onto her lap and started to climb up her body. "Ouch! Rollo, you brought him home-you get him something to eat. And then come out to the barn-I want the hay bales moved and we need to build a pigpen."

"You see, Bragi?" murmured the big man, going over to the chest that held his few things and taking out one of his two remaining shirts. "You have come to the home of a slavedriver. If you are wise you will run back to the woods and find a taller tree."


	14. Chapter 14

Spring was well advanced by the time they finished planting their crops. The plowing had been an especially arduous process. Neither Lagertha nor Bjorn had the strength to maintain a straight line across a field, and Rollo, who had never worked on a farm in his life, lacked the skill to handle a plow. Fortunately he was a quick learner and with Lagertha coaching him, he managed to get the dirt broken up into fairly straight furrows. Lagertha had been pleased-in fact, looking back over the past months, she realized there was a great deal to be pleased about.

The winter had been a hard one, with more snow than usual, but thankfully it had also been very short. Not knowing anyone in the village, Lagertha, Rollo, and Bjorn had spent most of their time on the farm, working on the small house. There had been very little in the way of furniture-a table, a couple of chairs, and benches that did double duty as beds, and Rollo had taken a whole week in the forest with Bjorn to fell trees and collect lumber for building projects. They had put together three beds, a second table, and a couple of screens for privacy, fashioning several stools out of the leftover trunks. Rollo had also discovered a knack for carving and had whiled away some of the long evenings by creating small figures of animals. He usually wound up throwing them in the fire, but one, a bear sitting up on its haunches with a paw raised as if waving, appealed to Lagertha so much that she insisted on keeping it. After that, Rollo tried his hand at the kind of carved bowl he had presented to Lagertha their first night in this house, and some of his work was so good that she and Bjorn thought they could sell it in the town.

Now Lagertha stood at the edge of their fields, surveying the tender green shoots of wheat and barley and rye springing up, and turned her head at the sound of footsteps behind her. Rollo came to stand beside her and they waved at Bjorn as he set out with some snares and a bow and arrow.

"I hope he comes back with something more than rabbits this time," said Lagertha. "I'd like to get some deer this summer-we need more furs for the winter."

"You know the deer are in poor condition after a hard winter," Rollo answered. "We can't hope for good skins until the beginning of fall."

Lagertha shrugged, smiling ruefully. "The truth is I am very tired of rabbit, Rollo. Perhaps we should take a day, now that the crops are planted, and go fishing."

"That sounds like a good idea." Rollo smiled back, his eyes ranging over the fields. "I always thought Ragnar was a fool to work so hard on a farm, scratching in the earth and waiting for something to grow. I never thought there could be such satisfaction in seeing what you planted yourself come up."

"We will make a farmer of you yet," Lagertha teased.

"I am a warrior, shieldmaiden. So are you. But it is good to have a place like this to come home to."

Lagertha turned and started for the house. "It will be a better home when we get a new grindstone. The one I have been using is too small. And I want some wool and a loom-our clothes will soon be threadbare. And we must try to get a piglet."

Rollo threw up his hands. "These things all cost money."

"Which we can make by selling those carved bowls you have made. We can also gather nuts and berries and honey, and sell them with the cheese I have made from the goat's milk." They had reached the house and now as they went inside, she cast her eyes around the meticulously clean interior. "I mean to make this a real home for us, Rollo."

"Do you?" he murmured, reaching for her hand.

Lagertha felt Rollo's fingers twining around her own and her heart skipped a beat. She had not forgotten Ragnar-he would always be a part of her, just as Siggy would always be a part of Rollo, but somehow over the long winter nights, Kattegat had receded into the far distant past until she actually found herself unable to recall exactly what Ragnar looked like. Thinking of him now was like remembering Gyda-that sweet little girl whom she would always love but no longer sorrowed for. And Rollo-he had shown another side to himself, patient with their hardship, willing to learn new skills, quietly content to sit with her and Bjorn night after night...had he always been like this, she wondered, or was it something that Siggy and Thyri had brought out in him?

Lagertha thought of the night Rollo brought out a hnefatafl board and began teaching Bjorn to play. The boy quickly learned the rules, and before many days passed was regularly beating his big uncle. Rollo grumbled that it was like playing Thyri. _She_ had always beaten him, laughing with Siggy at him as he swore that next time he would destroy her, and Lagertha couldn't help laughing herself, especially when Bjorn promised to go easy on Rollo, which made the big man laugh too. That was another thing that Lagertha had never suspected. Rollo was fun to be with. Seeing him joke with Bjorn and tease Bragi, Lagertha felt that he had left behind the dour man he had been in Kattegat, where he always stood in Ragnar's shadow. Her hand tightened on his and they stood gazing into each other's eyes.

"I hope I am not intruding."

Rollo dropped Lagertha's hand and they both turned to see Earl Sigvard leaning against the door, showing his teeth in a smile that did not reach his eyes. Behind him stood a tall man with a harassed expression, who spread his hands and shook his head apologetically.

Rollo took a deep breath. "A visit from you is always welcome, lord. To what do we owe the honor?"

"I wished to survey my farm and see what you are making of it." Sigvard raised his eyebrows. "I hope you are putting as much effort into my land as you seem to be putting into...other things."

Lagertha's eyes flashed and Rollo said hastily, "I would be happy to show you over the fields." He moved forward, blocking the door so that Sigvard could no longer see inside, and the earl took a step back, making a courtly gesture of invitation. His malice was plain to see, but Rollo went with him docilely enough and Lagertha relaxed as the two men went out of sight towards the fields.

The tall man who had come with Sigvard wiped sweat from his forehead. "By the gods, that could have been nasty, that could." He smiled apologetically at Lagertha. "May I have a drink of water? My mouth is that dry…"

"Of course." Lagertha waved the man to a chair, poured him some water, and sat down across from him. "I don't recall seeing you before. What is your name?"

"Gunnar." He drank thirstily. "No, you wouldn't have. I have served Earl Sigvard for several years as his steward, traveling around his possessions, collecting rents…" He shrugged. "It is not a pleasant job. My lord charges a great deal for the use of his lands."

"He certainly does," said Lagertha grimly. "Twice as much even as Earl Haraldson, and he was known for a greedy man."

Gunnar looked over his shoulder reflexively. "I would advise you to guard your tongue. Earl Sigvard does not love criticism. And it is most unusual for him to visit a property to inspect it himself." Lagertha frowned and he continued, "Now that I see you, I understand why he would want to come."

She held her head up proudly. "I have no interest in your earl. I hope he will waste no more of his time."

They heard Sigvard and Rollo coming back and Gunnar said quickly, "Sigvard is used to getting what he wants. He has been known…"

"Gunnar!" Sigvard's voice rang out impatiently. "We must be on our way!"

"Coming, lord!" called Gunnar. He looked at Lagertha with sympathy. "I would advise you to guard more than your tongue, lady. Perhaps you should just leave this place."


	15. Chapter 15

"Leave!" Rollo stared in Lagertha in amazement and she shook her head.

"I wanted you to know what Sigvard's steward said. He seems to think…" Lagertha flushed with annoyance. "I got the impression Sigvard was interested in me."

"He certainly wasn't interested in the crops," growled Rollo. "We barely got to the edge of the nearest field before he started asking what our life was like and how I was enjoying living with such a beautiful woman. I did not answer him, and he turned and came back to the house as if he hoped for another sight of you." His big hands knotted into fists and Lagertha went to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

He looked up at her and she said softly, "I do not know what to do, Rollo. It would be very hard to start over, especially after all the work we have put into this place, but I have a bad feeling about Sigvard."

"So do I." Rollo covered her hands with his. "And yet, it may be no safer to go than to stay. We have nowhere to go, no money after putting everything we have into this place…" He squeezed her hands. "And Bjorn is happy here. But if you want to leave, I will go with you."

Lagertha smiled down at him. Just knowing that Rollo was here and she could depend on him made her feel better. It was like in a battle, when she locked shields with a warrior she knew was utterly trustworthy. He was waiting for her decision, his dark eyes staring into hers, and she took a step back, smoothing down the front of her dress. "I want to stay here, Rollo. I said I wanted to make this a real home for us, and I meant it."

He stood up and bent his head towards hers and for a breathless moment Lagertha thought Rollo was going to kiss her, then he murmured, "As you wish, shieldmaiden," and went out the door, leaving her alone with a curious feeling of relief mixed with disappointment.

Rollo did not return to the little house until the evening, after Bjorn came back with a pair of rabbits. Lagertha sighed over the rabbits, praised her son's skill, and sent him to fetch his uncle while she started their evening meal. They came back in just as the stew was beginning to bubble and Lagertha was setting out the hot bread she had baked. Bjorn slid into a chair and grabbed a chunk of bread, yelping as he burned his fingers, and Rollo snickered.

"That's what you get for grabbing something before it is ready." He gave Lagertha a long measuring look and she felt a flush that had nothing to do with the hot fire she was stooping over. Avoiding his eyes, she poured ale and handed it round, then went back to the pot, stirring and tasting.

"I have been thinking that tomorrow would be a good day to go fishing," she said, turning to see Bjorn's reaction.

""Fishing!" The boy jumped in his seat with excitement. "Can we really? What about the farm?"

"The crops are sown and coming up well and we can leave the goats in the barn for one day." Bragi jumped up onto the table and Lagertha scratched his head. "You wouldn't mind some fish, would you?"

Rollo went over to the pot of stew and brought it to the table. "In that case, we must all get to bed very early, so we can make a good start tomorrow."

They left in the dark hour before the dawn, walking over an hour to get to a spot on the river that Lagertha approved, with a deep quiet pool cutting into the bank. It was just like the fishing hole back on Ragnar's farm, and Lagertha felt a pang of nostalgia as they cut and sharpened poles to stab the fish with. Gyda had just been starting to master the trick when Ragnar became the earl of Kattegat and they left fishing behind them.

Bjorn quickly got the knack of stabbing with the pole and flipping a fish out on the bank and soon he had a small pile next to Lagertha's. Rollo had no trouble catching the fish, but somehow he never managed to get one out of the water and by midmorning he was beginning to look discouraged. Bjorn had long since tired of standing in the water and when he asked to go swimming, Lagertha waved him away and turned to Rollo.

"I thought you were better at this. Bjorn always brought home so many when you took him fishing."

Rollo grinned ruefully. "That was when we were fishing with nets. I never did this before." He stabbed at a fish and flipped it towards the bank, but it fell off the pole and was swept downstream. "Why do I have to toss them onto the bank? Why not just grab them off the pole?"

"You can't grab a struggling fish-you could get a fin stuck in your hand and then we would have to dig it out and hope you didn't get an infection," Lagertha chided. "Here, let me show you." She stepped behind Rollo and put her arms around him, guiding his hands. "You have to get a good purchase on it before you toss it." They stood motionless as a large fish swam up almost to their feet, then Rollo stabbed down and pinned it to the bottom. "That's good, Rollo. Now slide the end along the bottom and flip it up…" He moved with her and the fish went flying to the bank, flopping for a moment on the ground before going still.

Rollo turned in Lagertha's arms, smiling down at her, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to raise her face to his and kiss him. He responded tentatively, as if he were not sure what she was doing, then she slid her hands up into his hair and pulled his head down and all the banked passion of his nature took over. He dropped the pole and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up to his height and kissing her thoroughly, her face and throat and shoulders, coming back again and again to her lips and her open mouth.

A branch snapped and they looked towards the bank to see Bjorn staring at them. After a moment the boy

shook his head. "If you are going to do that you should at least get out of the water."


	16. Chapter 16

Lagertha stretched luxuriously, savoring the feeling of Rollo's naked body pressed against hers. For a moment the thought of Ragnar crossed her mind as she recalled the night she had just passed and the pleasure she had enjoyed, more pleasure than she had ever known with her former husband. It wasn't that Rollo was bigger than Ragnar, and far more skilled. It was more than any physical attribute or technique-it was Rollo's tenderness and consideration for her, the way he took his time to please her and sincerely respected her desires. As much as she had loved Ragnar and being with him, Lagertha had never known it could be like this between a man and a woman.

She turned over and studied Rollo's face. He was still asleep, a little smile curling his lips, and she snuggled closer, breathing in his scent. He stirred, and she ran her hand down his flank. "Lagertha," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. She kissed him back and he opened his eyes, smiling at her. She smiled back, tracing the scars on his face.

"Are you ready for breakfast?"

He slid his hand between her legs. "I know that I'm hungry."

She gasped as his fingers explored her, losing herself once more in his body until they were both spent and she rested her head on his chest, listening to the strong steady beat of his heart. She would have been content to stay there all day were it not for the responsibilities that began to press on her, and she sighed and sat up. "This time I really do have to make breakfast."

Rollo reached up and took a lock of her hair, running it through his fingers. "Very well, shieldmaiden, but I will want more later."

"So will I." Lagertha kissed him swiftly, evading his hands with a little laugh, and got out of the bed to dress. Rollo lay on his side, watching her, and she felt so comfortable with him that it seemed they had lived like this for years, not less than one day.

After Bjorn caught them kissing, they had all gone back to fishing until the large basket they had brought to carry their catch was full. Rollo was going to clean the fish at the river, but Lagertha wanted to try using the guts as fertilizer for the small garden she had planted, so they set off and got back to the house by late afternoon. While Lagertha and Bjorn cleaned the catch, Rollo started a fire in the tiny smokehouse he had built and hung the fish one by one on the walls. Lagertha cut up some fillets to grill, and Bjorn dumped the offal onto the ground around the young vegetables, then threw a couple of buckets of water over it. The kitten Bragi was wildly excited by the smells and had to be constantly swatted away from the work, but they finally finished and were able to sit down to a well-earned supper, complete with mead and hot bread.

It wasn't until after she finished cleaning up and was ready for bed that Lagertha realized she did not want to go to her own bed. Kissing Rollo had been like striking a spark over tinder-she felt the heat of it rise in her as the day wound to a close, and she asked him to move one of the screens he had made in front of his bed. He did so without a single question, only staring at her hopefully as she told Bjorn to go to sleep. The boy smirked at his mother but also remained silent, and Lagertha went back around the screen, pulled off her dress, and lay down in Rollo's bed.

Now, feeling his eyes on her as she covered herself, Lagertha felt more than content. She felt that she had arrived at a new place in her life-that everything had been leading up to this moment and that whatever happened, she was a different woman and glad to be so. She twisted her hair back, pinning it in place, and raised her eyebrows at Rollo. "Are you going to lay there all day?"

He patted the bed. "I want to talk to you." She looked dubious and he smiled broadly. "I have had enough for now, shieldmaiden. Come and sit down and hear what I have to say." Lagertha sat on the edge of the bed and Rollo said softly, "I have been thinking that I do not want to make the same mistake with you that I made with Siggy."

At the mention of Siggy, a hurt look came over Lagertha's face and she started to get up, but Rollo caught her hand. "I am not pining for Siggy. She is in my heart always, but she is a part of the past." He sat up and put his arm around Lagertha. "What I want to say is that I love you, Lagertha. I have come to love you with my whole heart. I wanted to tell you that. I did not want to leave it unsaid another moment."

Lagertha reached for him, burying her hands in his hair and resting her forehead against his. "I love you too, Rollo."

He pulled back to look into her eyes. "There is one thing more, if you will consider it. I want to marry you." She looked surprised and he said hastily, "I only ask you to think about it. I know it is too soon…"

Lagertha had the feeling again of being in a new place as a different person. She had no regrets over her past-if she had never married Ragnar, she would not have had Bjorn and her son was infinitely precious to her. She had felt that way about Ragnar once-that he was someone rare and wonderful, someone worth spending a lifetime with. Now she could barely remember what he looked like. Somehow Rollo had taken root in her heart and grown until there was no room for what was past. How clever he had been, patiently waiting for her to make the first move. How long would he have waited? Lagertha would never know the answer to that question, but she felt that Rollo would have waited forever, just as he would wait forever for an answer to the question he had just put to her. And suddenly she knew she did not want him to wait, and she wrapped her arms around him. "It could never be too soon."


	17. Chapter 17

Earl Sigvard refused to let them get married.

Of course he had no authority over Rollo and Lagertha and no right to forbid their marriage. He simply let it be known that anyone who married them would be banished from Strandysla. "And he has no right to do that," said Gunnar, "but he is a vindictive man and people are afraid to cross him."

Rollo and Lagertha looked at each other with dismay, while Bjorn reacted with anger. "We can go back to Kattegat and you can get married there, and the hell with Earl Sigvard!"

Gunnar sighed. He enjoyed visiting the farm, sitting down to a drink and some conversation with Lagertha, or walking the fields with Rollo and Bjorn, and he had even gone hunting and fishing a couple of times with them. They had become good friends, and he was embarrassed now to have to tell them that Sigvard would stand in the way of their happiness. "The boy is right. You will have to go back to your own town if you want to be married while Sigvard is the earl."

"No." Rollo and Lagertha spoke simultaneously, without even looking at each other. Obviously they were of one mind, but it was Lagertha who continued. "Why is Sigvard doing this?" Gunnar looked at her steadily and she flushed. "I would rather die in the wilderness than have anything to do with him. He must know that."

"I think he does," said Gunnar slowly, "but as I said, he is a vindictive man. He cannot accept that he will not have his way in this matter, and if he can do something to hurt you, he will."

Rollo frowned. "If he feels so strongly about this, why doesn't he just throw us off the land?"

Gunnar shrugged. "You have done more with this farm in one season than poor Arne did in all the years he held it." He smiled at Lagertha. "Your parents must have been exceptional farmers."

She smiled back. "They were."

"I think," said Gunnar thoughtfully, "it is a mixture of lust and greed. Sigvard knows he cannot have you, but as long as you are on his land, he has some control over you. And he saw how much you had planted and how well it was coming up, and he has not been blind, Rollo, to your trips into town to sell nuts and berries and honey, and your carvings. He sees prosperity here and he is loathe to lose his profits and have the farm go back to what it was."

"So as long as we continue to turn a profit, we are safe here," said Rollo.

"Yes," Gunnar replied hesitatingly, "but you must still exercise caution. Sigvard would use any excuse to punish any of you, even you, Bjorn. He especially hates you, Rollo. I would not be surprised if a part of him believes that if you were not here, Lagertha would change her mind about him." He held up a hand as Lagertha leaned forward. "I said a part of him. He knows you want nothing to do with him, but as a rich and powerful man, in his heart of hearts, he cannot accept that you are indifferent to him. I am sorry."

The conversation turned to other, more pleasant matters, and Gunnar required little pressing to stay for supper. Bragi, still growing but already larger than the average cat, leaped into the guest's lap and kneaded him with his sharp claws, blissfully purring and ignoring Gunnar's protests, and Lagertha brought out smoked fish and sharp goat cheese and made fresh hot bread, while Rollo put a small dish of butter and a comb of honey on the table. Even Bjorn felt moved to go outside and pluck a handful of berries and they all contrived for a short time to forget the shadow that hung over their lives, but after Gunnar had gone and Bjorn was asleep, Lagertha returned to the subject.

Rollo was already in bed-he liked to watch her undress and she enjoyed his eyes on her as she removed her clothing, but tonight she found her mind dwelling on Sigvard. She pulled off her clothes and curled up next to him, tense and unresponsive, and he sighed.

"What is wrong?"

She sat up in the bed. "It isn't right. Sigvard should not interfere in our lives like this. It is none of his business if we want to marry."

Rollo sat up too. "I should not have spoken so quickly earlier. If you want to return to Kattegat…"

"No." Lagertha rested her head on Rollo's shoulder. "I want to get married here. How can we make a real home here if we have to go back to Kattegat for something as important as our wedding?"

Rollo lay back on the bed, pulling Lagertha with him. "That is how I feel, but we may never be able to get married here. Can you be happy like this? Living like this?"

She took his face between her hands and looked searchingly into his eyes. "Can you?"

He took a moment to answer. "I already have so much more happiness than I ever expected to find again that it almost seems selfish to want something more." Rollo ran a lock of Lagertha's hair through his fingers. "I should be content with my lot, shieldmaiden, but if you want the whole truth, no, I will not be happy." She felt a chill and started to pull away and he wrapped his arms around her. "And I think the truth is that you will not be happy either. We cannot be happy with so little control over our lives, but Sigvard is only a man. He may change his mind. He may die. And in the meantime…" He kissed her cheek. "In the meantime, we will live together as we please and be as content as it is possible to be. Do you agree?"

Her answer was not given in words, but it was very satisfactory nonetheless.


	18. Chapter 18

Harvest time came, and Rollo and Lagertha helped other farmers bring in their crops and were assisted in their own turn. Even after paying Sigvard's exorbitant fees, they found themselves with seed for next year's planting and more than enough grain for the winter. They were able to trade for a new loom and a fat piglet and two swords and shields. Rollo began training Bjorn, and Lagertha found a great deal of enjoyment in watching them spar. Sometimes she took a turn against Rollo herself, just to keep in practice, warning him not to hold back and surprised at how much of her strength and skill it took to keep him at bay.

The next winter was longer and harsher than the first, but it seemed to pass even more quickly. The little family had tried to go into Strandysla once a week during the spring and the summer months, mostly to give Bjorn a chance to make friends with the local boys and have some playtime. He would disappear from their wagon as they were pulling into the main street of the village and they would not see him again until it was time to leave in the late afternoon, when he would show up tired and hungry and very dirty, and very happy. Rollo didn't always go back to the farm-when it was practical to leave for a few days, he would go out on the fishing boats, lending a hand and bringing home a big fish or two from the sea. He made several good friends, and found lodgings with Gunnar's wife, a shy woman with three small children who was glad of the company while her husband was away collecting rents.

It was Lagertha who was the most popular among the townspeople. The story of Ragnar had spread throughout the country, and while he was greatly admired for his feat of finding new lands to the west, there was also a faint hissing among the people of Strandysla against a man who abandoned his faithful wife for a young princess. At least, the women strongly disapproved, and most of the men, whatever they might privately think of Ragnar's dalliance, were wise enough to agree with their womenfolk in the interests of domestic harmony. The shieldmaiden made friends wherever she went, and if most people started out pitying her for Ragnar's behavior, they soon came to love her for her kindness and constant willingness to lend a hand or sit down and listen to a problem.

Once the winter came, it was more difficult to get from the farm to Strandysla, but at least once a month Rollo hitched up the horse to the wagon and they all piled in and braved the snow to visit their friends. Earl Sigvard continued to be an uneasy presence in their lives, but they avoided his hall and refrained from going to festivals and hoped to escape his attention as much as possible.

It was a frosty evening in the middle of the winter while they were visiting Gunnar that Rollo broached the subject that was uppermost in his and Lagertha's minds. "Does Earl Sigvard never go raiding?"

Gunnar looked nervously at the door, a habit of his whenever a topic came up that he knew Sigvard would not like. "Not for the past ten years."

"But why?" asked Lagertha. "No wonder Strandysla is such a poor place. Sigvard cannot expect to have wealth if he never raids."

"Sigvard has more wealth than you might think," said Gunnar. "You know how high his rents are. He is also a shrewd trader and has accumulated a great deal of gold over the years, selling grain and fish and salt. And he has some excellent boat builders and charges a very high price for their services. He has outfitted several other earls for raiding and he has been given generous presents when they have done particularly well."

"Then why is the great hall so bare?" Rollo shook his head. "Even Earl Haraldson had ornaments and furs in his hall, and my brother added trophies from our raids when he became earl."

"Sigvard prefers to keep his treasure locked up in great chests. He doesn't even bury it, because then he could not take it out and look at it." Gunnar sighed. "We don't even have poetry or music anymore-he won't pay the bards and musicians, so they avoid Strandysla and go where they have better custom." He smiled as his shy wife, Astrid, put out plates on the table. "Is supper ready?"

"Almost," she said softly. "Will you call the children in?"

"I'll do that," said Lagertha, giving Rollo a meaningful look as she left the table to go to the door. "Sniv! Hilde! Find Bjorn and your brother Snorre and bring them in for supper!" She went over to the hearth to help Astrid with the food.

Rollo leaned forward. "Does Sigvard discourage raiding by his people?"

Gunnar shrugged. "It has never come up. Once he stopped building the longboats, there was no way to go anywhere. Many people in town have little fishing boats, but those are of no use to a raiding party."

"And if Lagertha and I were to go elsewhere and join some raiders this summer?"

"You would probably find your farm taken over in your absence." Gunnar shook his head. "Sigvard only tolerates you because of the money he makes from your work on the land. If he thought you were more interested in raiding than farming, he would have no reason to let you stay in Strandysla." Rollo looked discouraged and his friend said softly, "The most you can do in Strandysla is spar with the young men in the village. Sigvard doesn't object to that. He is a coward who lost his nerve for battle long ago. That is why he chose to stop raiding. People fear him because he holds almost all the land and he has turned families out with nothing." Gunnar saw the disgust on his friend's face and he nodded. "He has the power of money, nothing more, but that is enough in this place. And he knows villages have been attacked, so he allows the young people who want to fight to practice as much as they like."

The children poured into the room and tumbled into their chairs as Astrid and Lagertha put the food on the table. The shieldmaiden had heard Gunnar's last remarks and as she sat next to Rollo, she said, "So as long as we remain here, we cannot hope to go raiding."

"That is true," said Gunnar, "but if I may advise you, I would say to sharpen your swords and axes and to practice your fighting skills. Under such an earl, you never know when you will need them."


	19. Chapter 19

_Four years later..._

Rollo knocked Bjorn back with a heavy blow from his shield. "Don't die stupidly!"

Bjorn's face turned beet red. "I'm not going to die!"

"Yes, you are." The big man circled his nephew, pointing his sword at his face. "If I choose."

Goaded, Bjorn threw himself at his uncle and Rollo sidestepped, hitting him with the flat of his sword and sticking out his food so that Bjorn tripped and landed flat on his face. He rolled over and Rollo put the point of his sword at his nephew's throat.

"You see?" Rollo dropped his sword and reached down, taking Bjorn's hand and pulling him to his feet. "You have to keep your head in a fight."

Lagertha had been watching and now she came forward. "Is that what you do, Rollo? Keep your head?"

He swept an arm around her and pulled her against him. "Always...in a fight."

She collected a deep kiss, then pushed him away. "That's enough for today." At the look on his face she laughed. "Enough fighting. Bjorn, I need more firewood. Rollo…"

"I know." He held up a big hand. "You want me to help with supper." He and Bjorn exchanged injured looks, then the young man walked off into the woods on his errand and Rollo picked up the swords and shields and followed Lagertha into the house.

He almost bumped into her-she was standing just inside the door, looking around, and he frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Lagertha smiled up at him. "No. I was just thinking how different this house is from when we first came here."

"Four years." Rollo smiled back. "Have they been good years?"

"The best." Rollo blinked at that and Lagertha took his hands. "Truly, Rollo. These have been the best years of my life." He was silent and she added softly, "Even without marriage." He wrapped his arms around her and for a moment they clung to each other. "Now what do you want for supper?"

He looked blank for a moment at the change in subject, then said impulsively, "Let's kill a piglet."

"Rollo!" Lagertha sounded interested and exasperated at the same time. "This is the first year we've had a litter-you know we need them all. They'll fetch a good price in the town."

He was already reaching for his axe. "One of them is a runt and won't bring much of a price. Besides, I feel like celebrating."

His eyes were twinkling and Lagertha felt herself starting to melt. She made one last effort to steel herself. "And what is there to celebrate?"

"Everything!" He slapped her on the bottom on his way out the door, and Lagertha had to laugh. She couldn't resist Rollo when he was in such a good mood. She started grinding grain for bread, thinking back over the last four years. It really had been a wonderful time. There had been hard work, and the grinding worry of paying Sigvard's rent, which had gone up every year until they were paying more than anyone else in the earl's sphere of influence. Sigvard had continued to be disagreeable when they crossed his path, but it was as Gunnar had predicted. The money from the farm was more important to the earl than any pique he felt at Lagertha's rejection. He continued to threaten banishment to anyone who married them, but did nothing more, and an uneasy truce existed between the little family and the earl of Strandysla.

Meanwhile, Bjorn had shot up into a tall well-muscled handsome young man. Now when they went to town, the girls were beginning to notice him and Lagertha wondered how long it would be before he fell in love and left to make a home of his own. She hoped it would not be too soon-quite apart from the help on the farm, she enjoyed watching the relationship that had grown up between her son and his uncle. Rollo and Bjorn were more like best friends than uncle and nephew. They did everything together-worked the farm, hunted and fished, made common cause against her when she wanted something repaired or built and then carried out her wishes in a kind of friendly competition to see who would do the better job...It all made for a very pleasant atmosphere in their home, and Lagertha was in no hurry to see any change.

Rollo came in with the butchered piglet and set it down on a heavy table to chop it up. Lagertha watched him fondly for a moment, then went back to her preparations. Oddly enough, it was times like this that she sometimes thought of her life in Kattegat as Ragnar's wife. She and Rollo disagreed, and even argued from time to time, but the furious bitter quarrels that had sprung up so easily between her and Ragnar had never happened in this house. Not once had they gotten physical and tried to hurt each other, and Lagertha couldn't help feeling a little guilty when she remembered how Bjorn had separated her and Ragnar when they fought. It seemed to her now that the passion between her and Ragnar had been like a forest fire, consuming everything in its path until there was nothing but ash, while the love between her and Rollo was more like the fire on the hearth, warm and bright and comforting with a glow that brightened the lives of everyone it touched. Had there really been a time when she had all but hated Rollo and thought Ragnar was the best thing that ever happened to her? She knew there had been such a time, and it frightened her a little to think that if it had not been for Aslaug, she would have ended her days with Ragnar and never known the joy she had discovered with Rollo.

He came up behind her now and nuzzled her neck. "You're very quiet."

She turned in his arms. "Do you ever think about the past?"

"You mean Siggy?" She nodded and he put his hand under her chin and regarded her gravely. "Of course. I hope wherever she is, she's glad that I'm happy."

"You would not change anything?"

"Only the earl's mind about letting us marry. And you? Is there anything you wish to change?"

"Only the earl's mind about letting us marry." Lagertha put her arms around Rollo and held him close as the door opened and Bjorn came in with an armful of logs.

"I thought you two were making supper."

"We are." Lagertha took out some skewers and speared the chunks of pork on them as Rollo built up the fire.

Bjorn came over to the table. "You killed one of the piglets? I thought we were going to sell them."

"It is a special occasion," said Lagertha.

"What occasion?"

Rollo took the skewers and set them over the fire. "I love your mother."

"That is an occasion?" Bjorn rolled his eyes. "Everyone in Strandysla has known that for years."

Lagertha smiled. "When you have an occasion, we will kill a piglet for you."

Bjorn shook his head, setting out plates and cups on the table. "A piglet for supper because you love my mother, Rollo. That is like having a party because I beat you at hnefatafl." Rollo aimed a cuff at his nephew and Bjorn avoided it easily, snickering. "You're getting slow. Soon I will beat you with the sword and the axe."

"That would be an occasion," scoffed Rollo.

"Enough, you two," scolded Lagertha, bringing hot bread to the table. She took the skewers over to the table and sat down across from the two men, and there was good food and good talk and the fun after supper of watching Bjorn beat Rollo again at hnefatafl, while Bragi, who had grown into a massive cat, watched majestically from his favorite perch on Lagertha's chair. And later in the night Rollo and Lagertha loved, and for one more night there was happiness in their house.


	20. Chapter 20

Lagertha waved at Rollo as he came to the end of the last furrow in the field and sat down to rest. He waved back and she hurried to cast the rest of the seed in the pouch at her side, coming up to him just as he started to get to his feet. "I could use a rest too, Rollo." She tossed the pouch on the ground and sat next to him, leaning on his shoulder and surveying the field with satisfaction.

He put an arm around her, running a lock of her hair through his fingers. "I thought you wanted to pull up that stump in the corner?"

"Not today. Now that the fields are plowed and seeded, I want to take a break before we tackle that stump. You know how hard that's going to be?"

"I don't see why you care," said Rollo piteously, his eyes twinkling. "You're going to make me and Bjorn do all the work."

Lagertha laughed and pushed him and he fell over, pulling her with him. She shook her hair out of her eyes and straddled him, kissing him and running her hands up under his shirt. He responded eagerly, his big hands sliding over her waist and down her legs, and she was reaching for the tie on his pants when they heard a shout.

Bjorn was running over the field and Rollo and Lagertha both groaned with disappointment, sitting up and adjusting their clothing before the young man reached them. "Bjorn, I thought you were staying in the village tonight," said Lagertha.

Bjorn dropped to the ground next to his mother. "There was news I thought you would want to hear." He took a moment to catch his breath, then said, "Jarl Borg attacked Kattegat."

Rollo and Lagertha looked at each other in dismay, then she asked, "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, but the news is all over Strandysla." Bjorn looked appealingly at his mother. "Does it matter? We should go to Kattegat...help the people fight off Borg."

Lagertha's eyes narrowed. "You mean help your father."

"Well...yes. Why not?"

She looked at Rollo. "What do you think?"

"I think we left Kattegat behind a long time ago," said the big man, "but Ragnar is still Bjorn's father and my brother. Nothing could change that. If he needs help, we should go."

"Just the three of us?" Lagertha shook her head. "We wouldn't be able to do much on our own."

"We could ask our friends to go with us," blurted Bjorn. "You know every year a few men leave to go raiding with other earls. We could ask them to go with us instead."

"And if Earl Sigvard finds out?" asked Rollo.

"The hell with Sigvard!" said Lagertha strongly. The two men looked at her in astonishment and she got to her feet. "I'm tired of living under his thumb. If he takes the farm, we have enough money saved to go somewhere else and buy a farm of our own."

Rollo looked up at her thoughtfully, then said quietly, "You heard your mother, Bjorn. Go back to Strandysla and see if you can gather some men to go with us." The young man bounced to his feet and ran off and Rollo reached up and took Lagertha's hand. "Are you sure you want to do this? We may have to leave our home."

Lagertha sat back down. "I'm sure. It was different before when Bjorn needed a safe place to grow up. Now he is a man and if we cannot stay here, it will not matter so much."

"Perhaps it is time we left anyway," murmured Rollo, rubbing her back. "We could find a place where the earl isn't afraid to go raiding. It has been too long since we used our swords for anything but practice."

Lagertha turned her head and gazed into Rollo's eyes. "Is that all you are thinking of? Raiding?"

"What else is there, shieldmaiden?" Rollo's eyes were twinkling again. "Were you thinking of how we could get married if we lived under another earl?"

"Not if you don't want to." Lagertha tossed her head and started to get to her feet and he pushed her on her back. She grabbed his wrists and held them tightly as he leaned over her. "Do you still want to marry me, Rollo?"

"I'll always want to marry you," said Rollo softly. He kissed her deeply and she let go of him to run her hands over his body. Bjorn had interrupted them but it would be hours before he got back and she intended to make the most of every moment.


	21. Chapter 21

"Ragnar!"

Torstein burst into the barn and the dispossessed Earl of Kattegat came forward to meet him, frowning at the excited state he was in. "What is it, Torstein?"

"Riders coming!"

Ragnar looked around at his wife, Aslaug, and she took their sons by the hand and hurried them into a recess behind a horse stall. The rest of the people who had escaped from Kattegat to take refuge at this remote farm grasped whatever could be used for a weapon, a pitchfork, a hoe, a shovel, and prepared to sell their lives dearly as Ragnar, Floki, and Torstein left the barn and made for a vantage point. For a tense moment they watched as almost fifty people came down the dirt road leading to the farm, then Ragnar smiled broadly and ran down the hill towards them, Torstein and Floki following more slowly.

He stopped in front of the riders and the dark giant in the lead swung himself out of the saddle and handed his reins to the blond woman riding at his side. "Hello, brother."

The two men embraced and Ragnar took a step back with tears in his eyes. "I didn't think I would ever see you again, Rollo." He looked past his brother at the blond woman. "Lagertha?"

She dropped off her horse. "Ragnar." He started towards her and she folded her arms, regarding him so coolly it stopped him in his tracks. He looked over her shoulder at a tall young man who had also gotten off his horse and Lagertha turned her head, then smiled and took the man's hand, leading him to the earl.

"Bjorn?" Ragnar could hardly take it in. The youngster was even taller than Rollo but the eyes in the hard young face were Ragnar's own. Floki and Torstein had caught up with him and now they too were staring at the new arrivals.

Floki went up to the young man and gazed intently into his eyes. "Yes. Yes! It is you, Bjorn!" Torstein was smiling and Ragnar felt a little dizzy as his son thumped his friends on the shoulder and threw his arms around his father.

For a moment the earl hugged his son back, then he looked over at Rollo and Lagertha. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard you needed help." Lagertha handed the reins of Rollo's horse back to him. "It looks as if we have come none too soon if you have taken refuge in such a place. How did this happen, Ragnar?"

"Do you recall the truce between King Horik and Jarl Borg?" asked Ragnar. Rollo and Lagertha nodded. "Horik broke the agreement. He decided he did not want Borg raiding with us."

Rollo frowned. "Why would Borg attack Kattegat?"

Ragnar squirmed, then said sheepishly, "Horik had me tell Borg he could not join us on the raid."

Lagertha regarded her ex-husband with exasperation. "Borg probably thought it was your idea. No wonder he was so angry. Were many killed?"

"A few," said Ragnar. "Most of the people managed to escape. They brought Aslaug and the children here." He ducked his head for a moment, then looked up at Lagertha to see her reaction. She was not looking at him at all-Rollo was back on his horse and she was leaning against his leg, speaking softly to him. Ragnar could not make out what she was saying, but the way she and Rollo looked at each other was all too clear. His brother nodded, then bent down to kiss Lagertha before spurring his horse towards the farm house. Bjorn nodded to his mother and joined the troop, cantering past his father with a careless wave.

Torstein and Floki mumbled something and beat a hasty retreat. Ragnar watched them go, then turned back to his ex-wife. "You and Rollo? You cannot possibly be serious. If this is some trick to get revenge on me for Aslaug…"

Lagertha mounted her horse. She had wondered what it would be like to see Ragnar again. Seeing him bristling at her, all she was able to feel was pity, mixed with a little contempt. Still, she had come with Rollo to help Ragnar and they would all have to work together if they were to succeed in driving off Borg. "I truly hope you are as happy with Aslaug as I am with Rollo. I love him very much. And he loves me. We did not come here to cause you pain, only to help you in your trouble. I hope you can accept that." She saw the disbelief in his face and shrugged. "If you do not want our help, we will go home. Make up your mind, Ragnar, one way or the other. And do it quickly, because Rollo and I have our own life that we are eager to return to." She kicked her horse into a trot, leaving Ragnar alone in the dusty road.


	22. Chapter 22

"We will attack immediately," said Ragnar decisively.

Rollo, Lagertha, Torstein, and Floki traded glances, then Rollo spoke up. "We do not have enough warriors to attack Kattegat."

"There are almost twenty men and women from farming families who will join us," snarled his brother. "With your people, that is enough."

"With my people, that is still less than one hundred fighters." Rollo shook his head. "If we attack Kattegat with so few, Jarl Borg will cut us to pieces."

Ragnar glared, his anger increased at the sight of Lagertha at his brother's side, their shoulders touching. "Do you have a plan or did you only come to tell me I must do nothing?"

Rollo raised his eyebrows. "I have given it some thought, brother. We must draw Borg out of Kattegat. He can winter there in safety, unless we threaten his existence."

"And how are we to do that?" asked Torstein.

"Food." Rollo took a deep breath. "A few of us must go into Kattegat and burn the winter grain stores."

There was a moment's silence, then Floki spoke up. "I will do it."

"No." Ragnar stared at Rollo. "My brother and I will go."

They left as night was falling. Ragnar kissed Aslaug goodbye with a passion that seemed more of a show than genuine feeling, while Rollo simply smiled and took Lagertha's hand before parting from her. She watched him walk away with his brother, then turned to the princess. "I see you have a baby. May I?"

Aslaug handed Lagertha the child and the shieldmaiden cradled him in her arms, looking closely at his eyes. The princess touched her son's cheek. "I named him Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye."

"For your father?"

"And his father." Aslaug raised her chin. "Ragnar and I are very happy together."

"That is good." Lagertha smiled at the look on the princess' face. "I mean what I say. I too have found happiness, more than I ever knew before."

"With Ragnar's brother, Rollo?"

The shieldmaiden nodded, handing the baby back to Aslaug. "It is not the life I would have chosen for myself, but it is the life that brings me joy."

Aslaug had not missed the interaction between Lagertha and Rollo but she had to ask. "And you do not wish to return to Ragnar?"

"No." Lagertha could not hold back a little chuckle. "Ragnar is a good man, but he is an earl first. What matters to him is his destiny. You are a part of that destiny in a way I could never be. Once I could no longer bear him sons…" She shrugged. "Rollo does not care about that. He loves me for who I am and does not expect more than I have to give. I never knew how good it could be, to have someone love me for myself and not for what I had to offer."

The princess bit her lip. "I am to bear Ragnar one more son, but I cannot deny that I have wondered if he will still care for me once I have no more children to give him." Her eyes filled with tears and Lagertha took her hand in wordless compassion.


	23. Chapter 23

Ragnar and Rollo traveled for the first mile in silence, the earl sullenly refusing to even look at his brother, but his anger finally broke out when they could no longer see the fires from the farm. "My wife tells me that you love her."

"That is not true," said Rollo calmly. "I feel nothing but respect for Princess Aslaug."

Ragnar caught his brother by the throat, shoving him back. "You know what I mean."

"I know that Lagertha is no longer your wife." Rollo took Ragnar's wrist and forced his hand down. "And I remember warning you not to throw away something precious."

The two men faced each other. "Are you going to tell me you actually love Lagertha? That you are truly together?"

"You don't need me to tell you that, Ragnar. I think Lagertha has already told you everything you have a right to know." Rollo spread his hands. "We did not come here to hurt you. Our only wish was to help you in your trouble. If you do not want our help, we will go home again."

The earl became still. "Lagertha said almost the same thing." He looked off into the distance, then forced himself to meet Rollo's quiet eyes. "She said she was happy with you." His voice had grown very small.

Rollo sighed, then gripped his brother's shoulder. "We _are_ happy. All we ask is that you accept our help."

"That is not all you want me to accept." Ragnar couldn't go on but Rollo understood him.

"It would be asking too much for you to be happy for us." Rollo gave Ragnar a small shake, then released him. "Shall we go now and take Kattegat back, my brother?"

Ragnar's throat was too tight for speech, but he nodded and started walking. Rollo fell into step beside him, and although they still traveled in silence, there was no more anger between them.

They returned late at night but most of the people were still awake and there was a shout of relief when Ragnar and Rollo walked into the barn. Aslaug threw herself at her husband and his arms went around her automatically, but his eyes were on Rollo and Lagertha. There was no great demonstration of affection, just Lagertha taking Rollo's hands and smiling at him, but Ragnar felt a sorrow equal only to the grief he had known when Gyda died.

There was no time to dwell on it, though-Torstein and Floki were at the head of the crowd around the earl, demanding to know what had happened, and Ragnar seated himself with Aslaug beside him and held up a hand. "We were successful-the winter stores are completely destroyed." A happy murmur went through the people, then they quieted again. "There were no guards, only a couple of dogs tied before the stockade that holds the silos. And they were no trouble."

"No trouble for you!" laughed Rollo, holding up his arm. He had been bitten, and Lagertha pulled him away to tend to the wound. Watching them, Ragnar lost the train of his thought. Several men called out questions and he brought his mind back to the people. "One man followed us out of the village too closely and we left him at a suitable place as a sign for Jarl Borg. Tomorrow we will gather there and it will be a strange thing if we do not defeat him." He stood up. "Now go to bed, all of you, and get all the sleep you can. You will need it tomorrow."

The people dispersed, Aslaug among them, and Ragnar walked over to the table where Lagertha was binding up Rollo's arm. "You should have told me you were hurt," she said, her tone a mixture of annoyance and love.

"It's hardly worth noticing," the big man answered, reaching for her hair and running a lock of it through his fingers. She finished the bandaging with a kiss, and Ragnar hesitated, then sat across from them.

"Will you be able to fight tomorrow, brother?"

Rollo smiled and flexed his arm. "I would kill Borg myself if I did not know that was a pleasure you desired."

"That is true." Ragnar regarded his brother and his ex-wife in silence for a moment, then got to his feet. "I will see you both in the morning."

He walked away slowly, his head bent, and Rollo and Lagertha watched him go, then left the barn to find a private place to spend the night.


	24. Chapter 24

Jarl Borg advanced slowly across the field, puzzled by the man sitting at the far end. He walked up cautiously, expecting a reaction, but there was no response at all. It was one of his own men, dead, propped up like a scarecrow, and Borg's jaw tightened as he touched the man's shoulder and the body slumped over and fell at his feet. Before he could react, a clear horn sounded from the woodline, and he could see one of Ragnar's men eyeing them defiantly. Borg smirked, then felt a chill as men and women started coming out of the forest. There were perhaps a hundred warriors, Ragnar in the front of the line, his brother beside him, and Borg realized his victory was not a foregone conclusion after all. He stared at Ragnar for a moment, then raised his arm. "Attack!"

Borg's warriors rushed forward eagerly, meeting Ragnar's people with a shock that drew ravens from miles around, screeching overhead as they waited for the dead to provide them a meal. The battle raged over the meadow, screams of agony filling the air as fighters fell to the wet red ground, and through it all, Ragnar and Borg sought each other, each aware that the death of the other leader would be decisive. Rollo's vision was more constrained-he stayed near Lagertha, her safety his main concern. She was fighting like a berserker and accounted for several of Borg's men when one of them caught her off guard, rushing at her before she could get her sword up. Rollo's shield came down in front of her and their eyes met briefly, then he shoved the man back and left him for Lagertha to finish.

Borg moved to the edge of the battle and signaled his hornblower, who gave a great blast. His men, more disciplined than Ragnar's makeshift force, ran back to him and formed a line, waiting for his order. Ragnar, seeing the danger, ran down the line of the fighting, shouting, "Brace! Brace! Be ready! Stay on your feet!"

Borg flung up his arm and brought it sharply down and his warriors plowed into Ragnar's people, sending many of them, including Bjorn, flying. As he lay on the ground, Ragnar ran frantically to his son's defense. "Get up! Get up!" Lagertha joined her ex-husband, and for the moment necessary for Bjorn to scramble to his feet, they held off Borg's men. Relieved, Ragnar focused his attention once more on Borg, while Bjorn nodded to Lagertha in reassurance.

Borg was no longer in the thick of the fight and Ragnar made his way steadily towards his enemy, cutting down everyone who tried to engage him. So fixated was he on the man who had taken Kattegat that he did not hear Rollo's shout of warning, nor notice when his brother flung an axe at a man coming at him from the side. Rollo had succeeded in killing one man threatening Ragnar, but another was approaching fast and he seized another axe. "Ragnar!"

He ran towards his brother, who still did not hear his warning, just as the warrior slammed into the rightful earl of Kattegat and sent him to the ground. The wind knocked out of him, Ragnar looked up helplessly as the man started to bring his weapon down, then a blur crossed his vision. Rollo had dived across his brother into the fighter threatening him, throwing him back several feet before burying the axe in his chest. He looked over at Ragnar, relieved to see him on his feet, and they nodded to each other. Sobered by the close call, Ragnar looked around for Borg, only to find that the enemy was calling for a retreat.

They ran, their stomach for fighting drained out of them, and the most precipitate was Jarl Borg, who pulled a man off his horse and mounted it himself. He threw a malevolent glare over his shoulder, then spurred the horse away from the field. Ragnar's people watched him go, shouting and clashing their weapons in triumph, and Bjorn came up to stand between his father and Rollo.

"You fought well today, Bjorn," Rollo gasped, bent over with his hands on his knees as he recovered his breath from the last desperate fight to save Ragnar's life.

Bjorn smiled. "Thank you, uncle."

Stung, Ragnar glared at them both, then sneered at Bjorn, "You have a lot to learn." He turned on his heel and left them and the young man's face fell.

Rollo straightened up and thumped him on the shoulder. "Let's go." Bjorn nodded mechanically, then seeing his uncle's look of approval, he smiled again and followed him off the battlefield.


	25. Chapter 25

The lawgiver was the first to see the column marching into Kattegat. "They're back! Ragnar Lothbrok is back!" He started forward but was quickly overtaken by people running to the returning warriors. Eric's widow and Helga fell on Floki and he boasted of beating Borg to hell and back. Almost everyone wanted to touch Ragnar as he led the way into the village, and a few greeted Aslaug, but the source of the greatest admiration was Lagertha. The young women especially mobbed her and she would not have been able to proceed if Rollo and Bjorn had not made way for her. "They're going to want to celebrate tonight," she said, taking Rollo's hand.

"I feel like celebrating myself," he said, smiling at her. Bjorn rolled his eyes at them both, but coming in for a share of attention himself from the villagers who had not seen him since he was a child distracted him from teasing his mother and uncle and gradually Lagertha and Rollo fell back until they were among the last to arrive in the village.

Ragnar had ordered the killing of all of Borg's men left on the battlefield, keeping a single man for a sacrifice, but the people waited in vain for the earl to come out of his hall and finally they turned to Rollo. While reluctant to put himself forward, he took the axe and stationed himself in the square in front of the great hall as the prisoner was led out with a rope around his neck. "Release him from his bonds. I know he will want to die well."

The man's eyes thanked Rollo as the rope was removed, and he fell to his knees concentrating on remaining calm as the earl's brother set himself. "In the presence of the gods and in their honor, I offer this sacrifice." He raised the axe, and Ragnar came out of the hall at last.

"Wait." Ragnar stepped down into the square and took the axe from Rollo, handing it to Bjorn and smirking at Lagertha. Her jaw tightened but she remained silent as Bjorn stared wordlessly at his father, then turned to Rollo. The big man nodded his encouragement, and Bjorn took a deep breath, repeated the formula Rollo had just recited, and mercifully took the prisoner's head off with one clean stroke. There was cheering and laughter and clapping, and Rollo bent to dip his fingers in the blood and touch Bjorn's face. Their eyes met, and the young man drew strength from the sympathy in his uncle's face.

Lagertha was glaring at Ragnar, and Rollo went to her side and took her hand. "He did well."

"He got lucky," she said tightly. "It takes a practiced hand to strike a man's head off with one blow. Ragnar was hoping he would fail."

"Now why would he hope that?" Rollo bit his lip at the look Lagertha gave him. "He has no reason to be angry at Bjorn, only us."

"He wanted to use Bjorn to hurt me, Rollo." Lagertha held up a hand. "I don't want to talk about it."

Rollo took that hand as well and pulled her close. "We don't have to stay any longer," he murmured in her ear. "Let us go home in the morning." She looked up at him and nodded, then put her arms around his neck and kissed him. All around them villagers who were not aware of the altered relationship between Lagertha and Rollo stopped and gawked, and Ragnar went back into the great hall and refused to see anyone for the rest of the day.

Evening came and he finally came out of his bedroom to find Bjorn wrestling with his two little brothers. The children were climbing all over him and Ragnar sat at the big table to watch them, a pensive expression on his face. Aslaug came over to sit next to him and he smiled at her. "It is good to see them playing together."

She smiled back. "For you."

"They are all my children."

The princess was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "I know you still love Lagertha." Ragnar rolled his eyes but she persisted. "She is a shieldmaiden and more like you."

The earl put his arms around his wife. "I don't want to choose between you. I want both of you."

"I want to believe you love me," she whispered.

"Then believe it!" Ragnar was exasperated. "When first you came, you were willing to share me with Lagertha."

"That was a long time ago," said Aslaug. "Now you are mine. And Lagertha…"

"What of Lagertha?"

Aslaug locked eyes with Ragnar. "She is no longer yours." She nodded to the door where Lagertha had just entered with Rollo, hand in hand with the big man and smiling up into his eyes. The earl's jaw tightened and he started to get up, but his wife took his arm and held him back. "It is better you accept what you cannot change, my husband. You made your choice." She laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair, but he couldn't take his eyes off Rollo and Lagertha.

They left in the morning, and this time Bjorn didn't have trouble with his decision. Though once again pressed to stay with his father, he chose to go with his mother. Filled with bitterness, Ragnar could not be prevailed upon to see the travelers off, and Rollo, Lagertha, and Bjorn left Kattegat amidst a hail of good wishes and small gifts, leaving the earl to brood in his great hall on what he had thrown away.


	26. Chapter 26

"Stop."

The whole troop came to a halt at Rollo's command, the men and women who had gone to Kattegat with him looking down at Strandysla from the top of the hill. They were anxious to get home, but they waited while Rollo studied the village, then slid off his horse and motioned to Lagertha. She got down from her horse and handed the reins to Bjorn, looking questioningly at Rollo.

He took a deep breath. "I want you and Bjorn to go back to the farm."

"And what of you?"

"I will take the warriors into Strandysla and see Earl Sigvard."

Lagertha's eyes flashed dangerously. "You are not going into Strandysla by yourself." Rollo regarded her calmly and for the first time in their life together, she felt an urge to hit him. He saw the fear under the fury in her face and wrapped his arms around her.

"I want you to be safe," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I don't want you anywhere near Sigvard until we know how angry he is with us."

She held him tightly. "We should be together, whatever happens."

Rollo sighed and took a step back. "I cannot order you. I can only ask." He gazed at her with love and a mute appeal.

The anger drained out of Lagertha. From the day they had left Kattegat all those years ago, Rollo had been kind and considerate. Every decision had been discussed between them, everything done by mutual consent, and although they had argued from time to time, this was the first real disagreement that had ever arisen between them. She reached for Rollo's hand. "I do not want to go back to the farm and wait for you." His shoulders slumped and she squeezed his hand. "We should all go together." Bjorn rode up to his mother's side and held the reins of her horse while she got back into the saddle. Defeated, Rollo swung up onto his own horse and the whole troop started down the hill to Strandysla, where they piled their weapons in the street outside the great hall and filed silently inside behind Rollo.

"So you have returned." Sigvard eyed Rollo unpleasantly, then cast his eyes over the men and women crowded at the big man's back. Lagertha and Bjorn were side by side just behind him, and Sigvard's gaze lingered over the shieldmaiden until Rollo took a step forward.

"We did not wish to go to our homes before greeting you, lord," he said levelly, blocking Sigvard's view of Lagertha. The earl's eyes narrowed, but he rose to his feet and gestured expansively.

"I am glad to see you all. Let there be feasting tonight to celebrate, and let everyone who fought tell his tale." Sigvard spoke to a couple of servants, who began bringing in casks and food, and a more relaxed atmosphere prevailed in the hall as the feast got underway. The earl lounged in his chair, speaking to whoever approached him but remaining somewhat aloof for an hour or so until he left the big room. His departure removed the last constraint on the people and they grew boisterous, going out and bringing in their friends and family until it seemed as if the entire population of Strandysla had come to welcome the warriors home.

Lagertha watched as Rollo threaded his way through the crowd, constantly stopped by people who wanted to talk to him or just shake his hand or thump him on the back. She caught his eye and beckoned and he came at once, a huge smile on his face. She smiled back and he caught her in his arms, kissing her soundly as the people laughed and clapped and cheered. "It seems I was wrong about Earl Sigvard," he said.

"I am surprised myself." She shook her head. "Never would I have thought he would offer a feast in celebration. The best I thought we could hope for was to return to the farm without a penalty."

Gunnar had approached as Lagertha finished speaking and he regarded his two friends glumly. "I hope you are right. I have never known Sigvard to forgive an insult, and he was madly angry when he learned you had left your farm to fight for Ragnar."

Rollo frowned. "Ragnar is my brother. I could not leave him in his trouble."

Gunnar shrugged. "What is the saying? 'Bare is the back that has no brother.' Sigvard knows this, yet he has always hated you, Rollo, and now he has less reason than ever to trust you. You should guard yourself."

Lagertha looked around uneasily. "Where is Bjorn?"

"Over there." Gunnar pointed and Lagertha relaxed. Her son was surrounded by friends, joking with the men and eyeing the pretty servant girls, and Gunnar said reassuringly, "He will come to no harm in that company."

The shieldmaiden nodded and smiled, then took Rollo's hand. "I want to go home now."

He looked surprised. "I thought you would want to celebrate."

Lagertha reached up and wound her arms around his neck. "I do."

Gunnar laughed. "Go. I will see that Bjorn is safe."


	27. Chapter 27

Rollo leaned over and caught the reins of Lagertha's horse and she looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Let's go to the river."

"You want to go fishing now?"

He clicked his tongue and her horse came up to his. "Look at that moon, Lagertha. Have you ever seen it so big and bright?" She gazed up at the night sky and Rollo took her hand. "I just want to see the river tonight. Think how it must look in the moonlight."

Lagertha squeezed his hand and nudged her horse into a walk, smiling to herself. Just when she thought there was nothing to learn about Rollo, he revealed something new. She had heard him recite poetry, and he had a small stringed instrument that he sometimes strummed on long winter evenings, but this was the first time he had wanted to go somewhere just to look at something beautiful and she wondered what other surprises he might reveal over the years to come.

They ambled out of the trees and dismounted, tying up the horses and wandering down to the river hand in hand and the shieldmaiden caught her breath. The moon hung low over the river, turning it to liquid silver, and in the hush of the night the voice of the water was more clear and sweet than she had ever heard before. They were at their favorite fishing spot and the little pool sparkled in the moonlight, throwing light and shadow across their faces. There was a kind of surreal beauty about the place, as if they had wandered out of the world and into a dream and Lagertha turned to Rollo.

"Thank you."

He ran a lock of her hair through his fingers. "For what, shieldmaiden?"

\"Everything." She reached up to kiss him, then pulled away, dropped off her clothes, and jumped down into the water. He stripped and followed, splashing across the pool to seize her in his arms. She twisted away, diving under the water, and he waited for her to surface, then stumbled as she came up behind him and knocked him over. He threw water in her face and sputtering and laughing, she swam off a few feet.

Rollo waited a moment, then shot across the pool and caught her again and this time she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him hungrily. He lifted her easily, holding her close as he waded closer to the bank, then sat down in the water and pulled her into his lap. There was an urgency about their sudden desire that took them both by surprise and they clutched at each other in a kind of desperation, touching and tasting and climaxing and beginning again until Lagertha collapsed on top of Rollo and his head fell back against the bank. For a long moment they lay there, gasping as their hearts slowed, then Lagertha turned a little and settled herself against Rollo's chest, her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and they stared up at the stars, each unwilling to break the silence.

He finally whispered, "What are you thinking?"

She sighed. "That I want to hold onto this moment forever-I never want to forget it. And you? Are you thinking of anything?"

"Not really." He hugged her gently. "I'm just happy. I love you so much, Lagertha."

She turned her head and rested her forehead against his. "I love you, Rollo." He shivered suddenly and she pulled away, standing up in the water. "It's too cold to just sit here like this."

He grinned at her and ran his hands up her legs. "I'll warm you up."

"Not here you won't!" She ran for the bank, wrung the water out of her hair, and dressed quickly as he came up out of the river, his body pale gold in the moonlight. She gazed at him admiringly and he gave her a kiss, then pulled on his clothes and went over to the horses, tying the reins of her horse to his own saddle. Lagertha looked at him in surprise and he picked her up and put her on his own horse, then swung up into the saddle behind her.

"Isn't this warmer?" he murmured, his strong arms encircling her, and she leaned against him and smiled up into his eyes.

"It's wonderful, Rollo."

He smiled back and they headed for the farm.


	28. Chapter 28

The little house had never looked so welcome to Lagertha and she didn't wait for Rollo to stop the horse before she slid off and ran inside. He got down more slowly, untied the reins of her horse from his saddle and took the animals into the barn, gave them a quick rubdown and shook out a few handfuls of hay, then went into the house.

It was dark inside and he frowned, wondering why Lagertha had not at least lit a candle, then a heavy blow landed on his head and he fell to his knees, dazed. There was a flare of light and he saw a man at the table, lighting several candles. Rollo's hands clenched into fists and he started to get to his feet, then someone slammed him to his knees again and he felt the sharp touch of a knife at his throat.

In the wavering light he saw Sigvard and a man behind the earl holding Lagertha. Her face was swollen and bruised and Rollo pressed forward and felt a warning prick from the knife. Blood trickled down his throat and Sigvard laughed.

"You didn't really think I would let you and your sister-in-law defy me, did you?" He walked up to Rollo and struck him across the face and the big man glared up at him but refused to answer. Sigvard shrugged and went back to Lagertha.

"Do you want me to kill him?" asked the man holding Rollo.

Sigvard ran a finger down the front of Lagertha's tunic. "I want him to watch. First me, then all of you." He took hold of the material at the collar and tore it, exposing her chest. "If he still wants her after we're done with her, he can have her."

Rollo roared and threw himself backwards and the man holding him went down under his weight. He took the intruder by the throat and started to throttle him and Sigvard shouted at the other two men, "Help him!" They moved towards the struggle, their knives out.

Lagertha tried to break free from Sigvard and normally she would have been more than a match for him, but his men had given her a bad beating and she could only watch as they fell on Rollo, slashing and stabbing. He had already killed the first man but the other two took him unaware as he surged to his feet. Then he was fighting back and their weapons were no match for his fury. He seized one by the arm and she heard the crack as the bone broke and Rollo tore the knife from his hand, thrusting it into his stomach and lifting him off his feet as he jerked it up into the rib cage. He dropped the body and threw the knife at the remaining intruder and the man crashed to the floor.

Streaming blood from at least a dozen wounds, Rollo started towards Sigvard and the earl screamed in terror and tried to run. Lagertha held onto him and then Rollo was upon him, taking his head in his huge hands and twisting it almost off his shoulders. He tossed the body aside contemptuously and Lagertha ran into his arms, pressing against him.

"Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded and he smiled wearily, then swayed and fell.

Lagertha dropped to her knees. "Rollo?" He didn't answer and she pulled him into her arms. "Rollo! No!" He was shivering with shock, his skin icy cold, and as she felt his blood pooling under her she realized he was going to die. Tears threatened to fall and she sternly forced them back. Her face must not be distorted with grief the last time he saw it, and as he opened his eyes and gazed up at her, she managed to smile at him. "I love you, Rollo. You know that, don't you?" His eyes clung to hers and she strove for a matter of fact tone. "And when you're well, we'll get married, and I'll belong to you, and…" She swallowed hard. "And you'll belong to me...Rollo…"

He tried to speak but his voice was too faint for her to make out the words. He made a last effort and reached for a lock of her hair, running it through his fingers, and then he was gone.


	29. Chapter 29

_Epilogue:_

_Ragnar sat on the dais in the great hall staring morosely into the fire. It had been almost a month since he had sent out messengers asking for allies to raid England, and not one favorable response had come in. Aslaug, sensing his mood, took the children outside to play, and he was grateful to be alone with his thoughts but the solitude only intensified his concern. If no earls chose to ally with him, there would be no raid this year. His men were already growing stale, restless and bored with nothing to do but drink and fish, and if there was nothing to look forward to, they would only grow more discontented and begin to quarrel with each other._

_He looked up as the big doors opened a crack and Torstein stuck his head in. "Ragnar, there is an emissary who wishes to discuss his earl's desire to raid with us."_

_Ragnar sat up straight. "Ask him to come in."_

_Torstein pushed the doors wider. "You had better prepare yourself."_

_Bjorn strode past him into the hall, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thank you, Torstein. I should like some privacy." He closed the doors, shutting Torstein out, and went over to the fire to warm his hands._

_Ragnar got up slowly and walked over to his son. "Bjorn? What are you doing here?"_

_"You heard Torstein. I am an emissary come to discuss a raid on England."_

_"You? In the service of another earl? What about your mother and Rollo?"_

_"Rollo is dead," said Bjorn flatly._

_The room seemed to spin around and Ragnar groped for a chair and sat down heavily._

_"My brother...how…"_

_"He died protecting my mother."_

_Ragnar looked up sharply. "Is Lagertha with you?"_

_"Earl Ingstad? No, she did not come."_

_"Earl Ingstad...wait, you mean your mother is the earl?"_

_Bjorn nodded. "She is. She wishes to ally with you in a raid on England. She offers four ships and over a hundred warriors."_

_Ragnar shook his head to clear it. "Why did she not come herself?"_

_Bjorn looked at his father with an odd expression. "My mother is not able to travel so soon after giving birth to her son."_

_A spasm of pain gripped Ragnar and he had to struggle to get the words out. "I thought your mother could not have any more children."_

_"Yes, I know," said Bjorn coldly. His voice softened at the look of anguish on Ragnar's face. "She says it all happened as it was fated to."_

_"Is she...is she…" Ragnar swallowed hard. "Happy?"_

_"As happy as she can be without Rollo. She looks to the future now, for both her sons. We should discuss the raid, father. She will want all the details."_

_"Yes, of course." Ragnar stood up, then sat down again. "May I ask what your mother named...her son?"_

_Bjorn smiled slightly. "She named him for his father, of course. My brother is called Rollo. And our seer said that one day he would be the father of kings."_

_The End_

Rollo founded and ruled the Viking principality which became known as Normandy. His descendants were the dukes of Normandy and became the kings of England down to the current day. Every ruling monarch in Europe is descended from him.


End file.
